Show ContentsEben History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Germany
Eben Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Eben

What does the name Eben mean?

The Eben surname comes from the Middle High German word "ebene," which denotes a "plateau," as such it was thought to have been taken on as a surname by someone who lived on a piece of flat ground. The surname also arose from any of several places names named Eben.

Another source notes the name literally means "dweller in the lowlands, one whop came from Eben (level land) and is the name of several places in Germany. 1

Early Origins of the Eben family

The surname Eben was first found in the Imperial City of Nuremberg where one of the first records of the name was Sister Christina Ebner, O.P., (1277-1356), a German Dominican nun, writer and mystic. Less than a year after her admission to the Dominican Second Order, Christina fell gravely ill and began experiencing frequent religious visions, which her confessor, Friar Conrad of Füssen, O.P., encouraged her to write down. Her first book, Leben und Offenbarungen (Life and Revelations) was written in 1317 followed by other works including Book of Sisters (Schwesternbuch) in 1340 and Revelations (Offenbarungen) in 1352. Her niece, The Blessed Margareta Ebner, O.P., (1291-1351) was a German nun and visionary who was beatified by the Catholic Church.

Early History of the Eben family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eben research. The years 1234, 1291, 1311, 1351, 1612, 1665, 1673, 1752, 1773, 1825 and 1979 are included under the topic Early Eben History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eben Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ebner, Eben, Ebener, Ebeler and others.

Early Notables of the Eben family

  • Christian Adolph Frederick Eben (1773-1825), better known as Baron Eben, was a Prussian military officer. Eben was given the command of the 2nd battalion of the Loyal Lusitanian Legion

Eben migration to the United States +



Eben Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Frederick Eben, who arrived in America in 1853 2
  • Christ Eben, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1854 2
  • Emilie Eben, who landed in New York in 1854 2
  • Louise Eben, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1854 2
  • John H Eben, who landed in Texas in 1858 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Eben (post 1700) +

  • Robert Eben Smylie (1914-2004), American Republican politician, Governor of Idaho, 1955-67; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Idaho, 1960; Speaker, 1956, 1960 3
  • Henry Eben Burnham (1844-1917), American politician, United States Senator from New Hampshire (1909-1913)
  • Robert Eben Smylie (1914-2004), American politician, 24th Governor of Idaho (1955-1967)
  • Willard Eben Mains (1868-1923), American National League Baseball pitcher
  • Mial Eben Lilley (1850-1915), Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives
  • Mial Eben Lilley (1850-1915), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1900; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 14th District, 1905-07 4
  • Campbell Eben Beaumont (1883-1954), American Democratic Party politician, Fresno County District Attorney, 1918-21; Superior Court Judge in California, 1921-39; U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of California, 1939-54 5
  • Henry Eben Burnham (1844-1917), American Republican politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives, 1873-74; U.S. Senator from New Hampshire, 1901-13 6
  • Eben Pomeroy Colton (1829-1895), American businessman and farmer, 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880
  1. Bahlow, Hans, Dictionary of German Names. translated by Edda Gentry, Wisconsin: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, 2002. Print. (ISBN 0-924119-35-7)
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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