Show ContentsHumbletoombe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Humbletoombe is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Humbletoombe family lived in Humber, Herefordshire, from where they took their name. The place-name Humber indicates the proximity of the settlement to a river bearing the same name. It was a common prehistoric name for rivers and is of uncertain meaning.

Early Origins of the Humbletoombe family

The surname Humbletoombe was first found in Herefordshire in the west country of England where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Humber from ancient times. Humber, an ancient English hamlet in the union of Leominster, hundred of Wolphy, dating back to the Iron Age, was granted by Duke William of Normandy in 1066 to Roger de Lacy, a Norman noble from whom the family name Humber is conjecturally descended. The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England.

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. John de Hwnbre was listed in Warwickshire in 1305 and John Humbre was found in Cheshire in 1392. 1

Early History of the Humbletoombe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Humbletoombe research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1604 is included under the topic Early Humbletoombe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Humbletoombe 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 Humber, Humbar, Humbor, Umber, Umbar, Umbor, Humbere, Humbore, Humbare, Humberston, Humbertson, Humberstone, Humberton, Humbertown, Humberstown, Humbletown, Humbleston, Humblestown and many more.

Early Notables of the Humbletoombe family

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

Migration of the Humbletoombe 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 Humbletoombe name or one of its variants: Edmund Humber settled in New York city in 1823 at the age of 32; Jacob Humber settled in Maryland in 1762; Henry Humberstone settled in New Haven Connecticut between 1620 and 1650.



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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