Ibson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Hebrides islands and the west coast of Scotland are the ancestral home of the Ibson family. Their name comes from the given name Gibb, which is a diminutive form of the name Gilbert. 1

Early Origins of the Ibson family

The surname Ibson was first found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they held a family seat from very early times.

Descended from a chieftain, Gilbert, probably Gilbert, Lord of Galloway, the Gibsons settled first at Lennox in Scotland, and in those early times was a formidable force to be encountered. The first official mention was when John Gibson surrendered the Castle of Rothesay in 1335. A few years later, Thomas Gibbeson was charged with breaking parole in 1358; and John Gybbessone was listed as a servitor of William Douglas when he was held hostage by Henry Vi in 1425.1

Later a branch of the family were well established in the sea-port and ancient burgh of barony of Levin in Fifeshire. "This place, which is agreeably situated on the sea-shore at the mouth of the river whence it takes its name, was erected into a burgh of barony by charter of the proprietor of the lands of Durie, now belonging to the Christies, but once in the possession of the family of Gibson, whose descendants, the lords Durie, are distinguished in Scottish history." 2

Early History of the Ibson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ibson research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1488, 1513, 1540, 1562, 1590, 1600, 1603, 1615, 1637, 1644, 1656, 1668, 1669, 1690, 1693, 1696, 1698, 1701, 1702, 1717, 1748 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ibson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ibson Spelling Variations

Medieval translation of Gaelic names could not be referred to as an accurate process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and names in documents from that era are riddled with spelling variations. Ibson has been written as Gibson, Gibsone, Gibsons, Gipson, Gibsoun, Gipsone, Gibbson, Gibbsone, Gippson and many more.

Early Notables of the Ibson family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Richard Gibson (1615-1690), known as "Dwarf Gibson", a painter of portrait miniatures and a court dwarf in England during the reigns of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, Charles II and William and Mary; Sir...
Thomas Gibson (d. 1562), was an English printer, medical practitioner, and theological writer and a native of Morpeth, Northumberland
Sir Alexander Gibson , Lord Durie (d. 1644), was a Scottish judge and son of George Gibson of Goldingstones, a Clerk of Session (d. 1590?), by his wife Mary Airth, of the ancient family of Airth of th...
Sir Alexander Gibson Lord Durie (d. 1656), Scottish judge, was eldest son of Sir Alexander Gibson (d. 1644.)
Sir Alexander Gibson (d. 1693), Clerk of Session, was eldest son of Sir John Gibson of Pentland and Addiston, co. Edinburgh. 3
Edmund Gibson (1669-1748), was Bishop of London, son of Edmund Gibson of Knipe by his wife Jane Langharne, and nephew and heir of Thomas Gibson, M.D
Edward Gibson (1668-1701), was a portrait-painter and nephew of William Gibson (1644-1702.)

Migration of the Ibson family to Ireland

Some of the Ibson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ibson migration to the United States +

Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Ibson or a variant listed above:

Ibson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Andrew ibson, who landed in Virginia in 1666 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Ibson (post 1700) +

Edward Ibson Lester (1923-2015), English first-class cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club

The Ibson 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: Recte et fideliter
Motto Translation: Just and faithful.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)