Show ContentsForber History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

  • Origins Available:
  • England
Forber Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Early Origins of the Forber family

The surname Forber was first found in Shropshire where the "surname is derived from an occupation. 'the furber' or 'furbisher.' A furbisher or scourer of armour and metals generally, found also as' furbearer.' Frobisher is the most prominent modern form of the surname." 1

"French fourhisseur, an artizan who polishes and mounts swords; a sword cutler." 2

The first record of the family was found in Leicestershire where Geoffrey le Furbisur held estates c. 1260. A few years later, Henry le Fourbissor was listed in Shropshire in 1306 and later, Richard Forbour, Forbysschour was listed in Colchester, Essex 1359-60. 3

The famed navigator Sir Martin Frobisher (1535?-1594), belonged to a family of Welsh origin, which moved from Chirk in Denbighshire. 4

Early History of the Forber family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Forber research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1535, 1576, 1577, 1578, 1588, 1594, 1674 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Forber History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forber Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Forber has undergone many spelling variations, including Furbisher, Frobisher, Frobishar, Frobyfar, Furbusher, Frobysher, Frobishire, Furbishire, Furbyshire, Furbisher, Furbishaw, Furber, Frobishaw, Ferbishaw, Forber and many more.

Early Notables of the Forber family

Sir Martin Frobisher (c. 1535-1594), English seaman and privateer who made three voyages to the Canadian Arctic (1576, 1577, and 1578) in search of the Northwest Passage. All landed in northeastern Canada, around today's Resolution Island and Frobisher Bay. As an English privateer/pirate, he collected...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Forber Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forber migration to Australia +

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

First Fleet
  • Mr. William Phillip Forber, (1768 - 1811), aged 21, British settler convicted in Gloucestershire, England in 1788, sentenced to 14 years for stealing a horse, transported aboard the ship "Neptune" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 5
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships

Houseofnames.com on Facebook