Holborne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Holborne family

The surname Holborne was first found in Greater London at Holborn. 1 2 This place dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Holeburne. 3

It literally means "hollow stream," "stream in a hollow," from the Old English "hol" + "burna." 4 5

Bald de Holeborn was the first listing of the family here in the Pipe Rolls of 1193. The Feet of Fines for Surrey listed John de Holeburne 1296-1297 and Stephen de Holbourne was found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1364. 6

Early History of the Holborne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holborne research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1597, 1615, 1643, 1644 and 1647 are included under the topic Early Holborne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holborne Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Holborn, Holbourne, Holborne, Hoborn, Hobourne, Hoborne, Holburne and many more.

Early Notables of the Holborne family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Anthony Holborne (fl. 1597), was an English musical composer, possibly a member of Queen Elizabeth's Chapel Royal. He published two volumes which in total had 97 pieces. 7
Sir Robert Holborne (d. 1647), was an English lawyer, the son of Nicholas Holborne of Chichester. "He was trained for the law, as the custom then was, at Furnival's Inn, before proceeding to Lincoln's...

Holborne migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Holborne or a variant listed above:

Holborne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Holborne, who arrived in New England in 1669 8

Holborne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christophel Holborne, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 8

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)