Hobson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Hobson

What does the name Hobson mean?

Hobson is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from the given name for the son of Robert, which was originally derived from the nickname, Hob. 1

Early Origins of the Hobson family

The surname Hobson was first found in Essex, where John Hobbessone was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. Another John, John Hobsone, was recorded in Wakefield, Yorkshire in 1327. 2

In Somerset, William Hobbeson, was listed 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 3

Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Petrus Hobbeson, Willelmus Hobbeson, and Robertus Hobson. 1

Early History of the Hobson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hobson research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1527, 1544, 1561, 1568, 1631, 1642, 1666, 1685, 1717, 1759, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hobson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hobson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Hobson have been found, including Hobson, Hopson and others.

Early Notables of the Hobson family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Thomas Hobson (1544?-1631), carrier of Cambridge, eldest son of Thomas Hobson and Elinor his wife, was born in or about 1544, probably at Buntingford, Hertfordshire, of which place his father was a na...
Captain Paul Hobson (died 1666) was an English antinomian Particular Baptist who served in the Parliamentary Army during the English Civil War

Hobson World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hobson is the 1,820^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Hobson is ranked the 632^nd most popular surname with an estimated 6,191 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Hobson is the 990^th popular surname with an estimated 760 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Hobson as 626^th with 10,521 people. 7

Migration of the Hobson family to Ireland

Some of the Hobson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hobson migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Hobson, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :

Hobson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Hobson, aged 12, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova"
Edward Hobson, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 8
John Hobson, aged 25, who settled in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe"
Mr. Edward Hobson, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Paul" in 1635 9
Robert Hobson, who arrived in Virginia in 1647 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hobson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Solomon Hobson, who landed in Virginia in 1704 8

Hobson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jonathan Hobson, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 8
Abraham Hobson, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1834 8
Henry H Hobson, who landed in Texas in 1835 8
John Hobson, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1863 8
Mr. Hyrum Hobson, aged 7, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hobson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hobson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Ben j Hobson, who landed in Quebec in 1784

Hobson Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Gladys E Hobson, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
William Hobson, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Hobson migration to Australia +

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

Hobson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Hobson, British Convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Peter Hobson who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Walter Hobson, a carpenter, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. John Hobson, British convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Mr. William Hobson, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hobson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hobson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Captain Hobson, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "H.M.S. Buffalo " arriving in Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand on 29th January 1840 14
Mrs. Hobson, Australian settler travelling from Sydney in April 1840 aboard the ship "H.M.S. Buffalo " arriving in Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand in 1840 14
Miss. Hobson, Australian settler travelling from Sydney in April 1840 aboard the ship "H.M.S. Buffalo " arriving in Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand in 1840 14
W Hobson, who landed in New Zealand in 1840
Mr. Hobson, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Tuscan" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 28th September 1842 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hobson migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Hobson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Nicholas Hobson, aged 23, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 8
Henry Hobson, who settled in Barbados in 1654

Contemporary Notables of the name Hobson (post 1700) +

David Lee Hobson (1936-2024), American lawyer and politician for Ohio 17
Luke Hobson (b. 2003), American swimmer, silver and bronze medalist winner at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Richard Rathbone Graham Hobson (1931-2021), American attorney and politician, Member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1976-1980)
Brigadier-General William Horace Hobson (1888-1960), American Commanding General Fort Benning, Georgia (1943-1945) 18
Victor Brian Hobson (b. 1980), American football linebacker
James Allan Hobson (b. 1933), American psychologist, professor of psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School
Richmond Pearson Hobson (1870-1937), U.S. Navy admiral, Medal of Honor recipient
David E. Hobson, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1936 17
Carolyn Day Hobson, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1996 17
George G. Hobson, American politician, U.S. Consul in Valparaiso, 1834-42 17
... (Another 31 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hobson family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Sidney Francis Hobson, British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 19

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Tom Daniel Hobson, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 20

The Hobson Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fortitudine
Motto Translation: With fortitude.

Citations +

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.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 30) William Hobson. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hobson/William_Horace/USA.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html