Driber History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Driber

What does the name Driber mean?

The name Driber was an occupational name for someone who was a "driver" or "drover" for someone who "drove a herd of cattle, especially to distant markets." 1 2 3

Another source goes into more detail: "driver, the driftman; on Moors the man employed to sweep together the colts and horses and cattle and sheep sent out on the commons, to a centre where the owners may claim them." 4

Early Origins of the Driber family

The surname Driber was first found in Cambridgeshire where Alice le Driveres was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. Later, Gilbert le Drivere was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1283. 5 Both of these entries point to the occupational nature of the name as for the latter, means "Gilbert the Driver."

The Lay Subsidy (Rylands) for Lancashire show William le Dryver, as holding lands there in 1332 and the Writs of Parliament includes entries for John le Drivere and Richard le Drivere, c. 1300. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Johannes Dryver as holding lands at that time. 3

"The name of Driver is well represented in the district of Ely, [Cambridgeshire]. It is also established in Lancashire and Yorkshire. In the 17th century a gentle family of the name resided at Avening, Gloucestershire." 6

Early History of the Driber family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Driber research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1332, 1528, 1558, 1563 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Driber History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Driber Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Driver, Dryver and others.

Early Notables of the Driber family

Alice Driver (born c. 1528), an English martyr from around Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, who was arrested, put to an inquisition and burned at the stake in Ipswich for her adherence to...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Driber Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Driber migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Driber or a variant listed above:

Driber Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Justus Driber, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1764 7

Sources +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Baring-Gould S., Family Names and their Story. London: Seeley, Service & Co. Limited, 1913. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)