Gabits History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Gabits

What does the name Gabits mean?

The name Gabits came to England with the ancestors of the Gabits family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the name Geribodo, a Germanic personal name composed of the elements geri, or gari, which means spear and bodo, which means messenger. Geribodo was the name of the 7th century saint who was Bishop of Bayeux. The name Gabits was also a derivative of the Germanic personal name Geribald, which was composed of the elements geri, which again means spear, and bald, which means bold or brave. This name was borne by a 9th century saint who was the Bishop of Chalons-sur-Seine.

Early Origins of the Gabits family

The surname Gabits was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. Gherbode, was created Earl of Chester by Duke William of Normandy, after he had a conflict with the previous Earl, Earl Hugh, who was transferred to Carlisle Castle. Gherbode, also known as Gerbode the Fleming, was William's step-son. This Earl Gherbode or Gerbodo also held lands in Yorkshire.

Early History of the Gabits family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gabits research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1486 and 1790 are included under the topic Early Gabits History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gabits Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Garbutt, Garbut, Garbit, Garbitt, Garbet, Garbot, Garbott, Garbett, Garbed, Gabit, Gabut, Gabutt, Gerbot and many more.

Early Notables of the Gabits family

More information is included under the topic Early Gabits Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gabits family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Gabits name or one of its variants: William Garbett, who sailed to Barbados in 1658; Thomas Garburt to Virginia in 1659; Peter Garbutt to West New Jersey in 1664; Richard Garbutt to Nova Scotia in 1774 with his wife and six children, and Robert James Garbutt to Texas in 1896..