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Babington History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Babington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The illustrious surname Babington is classified as a habitation surname, which was originally derived from a place-name, and is one form of surname belonging to a broader group called hereditary surnames. Habitation names were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Topographic names, form the other broad category of surnames that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Babington is a place-name from in Northumberland. There is a Babbington in Nottinghamshire as well. The place-name is derived from the Old English personal name Babba, with the addition of the suffix tun, and Old English word that means farm or enclosure. Later, tun came to mean village, fortress, and then town. The literal translation of the place-name is "farm that belongs to Babba." 1

Early Origins of the Babington family

The surname Babington was first found in Northumberland at Babington where they held estates in the reign of King John. 2

From this line, they moved into Nottinghamshire and later to Somerset where we find today the parish in the union of Frome, hundred of Kilmersdon. In 1233, the area was known as Babington Parish. According to one source, "there are reasons for believing that they resided there from the period of the Conquest or before it." 3

One branch of the family was first found at Little Bavington in Northumberland. "Bavington Hall, the residence of the present representative of that family, is a handsome mansion surrounded with fine plantations." 4

Early History of the Babington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Babington research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1370, 1400, 1455, 1538, 1550, 1561, 1569, 1571, 1572, 1575, 1576, 1578, 1586, 1592, 1603, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1615, 1660, 1669, 1689 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Babington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Babington Spelling Variations

Since the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Babbington, Babington, Babinton, Babbingtone, Bappington, Bapinton, Bappintone and many more.

Early Notables of the Babington family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was

Sir William Babington (d. 1455), English judge, of an ancient Northumbrian family, was the second son of Sir John Babington, Knt., of East Brigford in the county of Nottingham; Gervase Babington (1550...
Brute Babington (d. 1610), Bishop of Derry, is said to have been a native of Cheshire

Migration of the Babington family to Ireland

Some of the Babington family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 202 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Babington migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Babington, or a variant listed above:

Babington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jo Babington, aged 20, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 5

Babington migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Babington Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Babington, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "South Sea"

Babington migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Babington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Col. C. W. Babington, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Aorangi" en route to Wellington, New Zealand on 23rd July 1892 6
Mrs. Babington, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Aorangi" en route to Wellington, New Zealand on 23rd July 1892 6
Miss J. H. Babington, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Aorangi" en route to Wellington, New Zealand on 23rd July 1892 6
Mr. J. H. Babington, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Aorangi" en route to Wellington, New Zealand on 23rd July 1892 6
Miss G. Babington, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Aorangi" en route to Wellington, New Zealand on 23rd July 1892 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Babington (post 1700) +

William J. Babington, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 4th District, 1974 7
Mary L. Babington, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1964 7
C. S. E. Babington, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1908 7
P Babington, English appointed RAF Air Marshall (1940)
Benjamin Guy Babington (1794-1866), English physician and epidemiologist
Charles Cardale Babington (1808-1895), English botanist and archaeologist, made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1851
Antony Babington (1561-1586), English conspirator
Sub Lieutenant John Babington GC, OBE, RNVR (1911-1992), British officer awarded the George Cross for 'great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty' in defusing bombs during World War II
William Babington, British physician and mineralogist
Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859), English essayist, historian, and politician, 1st Baron of Rothley (1800-1859), Secretary at War (1839-1841), Paymaster-General (1846-1848); he introduced English as the language of instruction for higher education in India, known as Macaulayism

The Babington Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Foy est tout
Motto Translation: Faith is everything.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html