Deebank Surname History

The surname Deebank was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat. Much conjecture has arisen about the origin of this name. Early records are scanty. Some have attributed the name to be Huguenot. "This was a common Huguenot name in he 17th and 18th centuries. The earliest known bearers in England are three people called Thomas Debanck of Hartshorne, Derbyshire, (father, son and grandson, from 1611); Nathaniel Debanke of Martock, Somerset (1655); and Joseph Debanke, a weaver in London (1656). " 1 In this case, the name was perhaps a topographic name (with the preposition de) from the French word "banc" meaning bench, bank. However, in the Wirral in Cheshire we find the name commonly used for a resident by the banks of the River Dee. The name Dee or Du, meaning black, is Welsh and both names proliferate throughout Shropshire and Herefordshire.