Hobis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Hobis comes from the son of Robert. 1 2

"Hob, patronymic Hobbs and Hobson. Naturally these surnames have left many descendants. Owing to its popularity Hob became the everyday term for a country clown." 3

Early Origins of the Hobis family

The surname Hobis was first found in Shropshire where the name first entry was as a forename as in Hobbe Litel, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1176. A few years later, Hobb(e) (with no forename) was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Northumberland in 1198, the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire and the Curia Regis Rolls for Worcester in 1205. These entries may be of the same person, but that is doubtful. Moving on, Osbert, Ralph Hobbe was found in the Pipe Rolls for Rutland in 1204, and again in the Pipe Rolls for Warwickshire in 1230. Isabella Hobbes was in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcester in 1327. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Agnes Hobbis, Huntingdonshire; and John Hobbe, Oxfordshire. 3

In Somerset, John Hobbes and William Hobbeson, were both listed 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign). 5

Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Willelmus Hobbes; Petrus Hobbeson; Willelmus Hobbeson; and Robertus Hobson. 3

Early History of the Hobis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hobis research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1198, 1529, 1532, 1538, 1569, 1588 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Hobis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hobis Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Hobis has appeared include Hobbs, Hobs, Hobbes, Hobis, Hopp, Hoppe, Hopps and many more.

Early Notables of the Hobis family

Distinguished members of the family include Robert Hobbes (d. 1538), the last abbot of the Cistercian abbey of Woburn in Bedfordshire, held the office in 1529. "Hobbes was summoned to convocation in November 1529, and in the following January received a license to hold two annual fairs in the town of Woburn. In 1532 he, with four other abbots, was commissioned by the king to hold a visitation of the whole Cistercian order, in place of the abbot of Chailly, who had been charged to undertake this duty by the head visitor and reformator of the order." 6 Thomas Hobbs (also spelled...
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hobis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hobis family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Hobis arrived in North America very early: Thomas Hobbs settled in Virginia in 1635; Andrew Hobbs settled in Barbados in 1654; Isaac and Hugh Hobbs settled in Virginia in 1654; Sarah Hobbs settled in New England in 1746.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print