Show ContentsJebb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Jebb

What does the name Jebb mean?

Jebb is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname that came from the baptismal name Geoffery. The surname Jebb referred to the son of Geoffrey which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. 1

In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Jebb family

The surname Jebb was first found in Suffolk, where William Gebbe was listed in the Subsidy Roll for 1327. 2

Early History of the Jebb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jebb research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1508, 1694, 1709, 1719, 1735, 1736, 1772, 1775, 1786, 1787 and 1833 are included under the topic Early Jebb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jebb Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Jebb has been recorded under many different variations, including Jebb, Jeb, Jebbe, Gebbe, Gebb and others.

Early Notables of the Jebb family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • John Jebb (1736-1786), theological and political writer, eldest son of John Jebb, D.D., Dean of Cashel (d. 6 Feb. 1787), by Ann, daughter of Daniel Gansel of Donnyland Hall, Essex, was born in Ireland...
  • Samuel Jebb (1694?-1772), physician and scholar, born about 1694, probably at Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was second son of Samuel Jebb, a maltster. His eldest brother, Richard, settled in Ireland, an...

Migration of the Jebb family to Ireland

Some of the Jebb family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Jebb migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Jebb or a variant listed above:

Jebb Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Jebb, who sailed to America in 1752
Jebb Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Rachel Jebb to America in 1805
  • Rach Jebb, who landed in America in 1805 3
  • Henry Jebb, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 3
  • Isabella Jebb, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 3
  • Thomas and James Jebb to Philadelphia in 1856
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Jebb 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:

Jebb Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Margaret Ann Jebb, (b. 1865), aged Infant, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Ivanhoe" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th June 1864 4
  • Mrs. Ann Jebb, (b. 1834), aged 30, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Ivanhoe" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th June 1864 4
  • Mr. John Jebb, (b. 1839), aged 25, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Ivanhoe" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th June 1864 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Jebb (post 1700) +

  • Caroline Lane Jebb (1840-1930), Lady Jebb, née Reynolds, an American intellectual and socialite
  • Cindy R. Jebb, born Cindy Glazier, is a retired United States Army brigadier general who last served as the 14th Dean of the United States Military Academy
  • Ann Jebb (1735-1812), née Torkington, an English political reformer and radical writer, born in Ripton-Kings, Huntingdonshire
  • Cynthia Jebb (1898-1990), Baroness Gladwyn, an English political hostess and diarist, wife of the UK's representative on the Security Council of the United Nations
  • Robert "Rob" Jebb (b. 1975), English fell runner, skyrunner, and cyclo-cross rider who won the annual Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross in the Yorkshire Dales a record twelve times since 2000
  • Richard Jebb (1874-1953), English journalist and author in the field of Empire and colonial nationalism
  • Jack McCauley Jebb (b. 1995), English professional footballer who plays for Dartford
  • John Jebb (1736-1786), English clergyman and doctor, practiced medicine in London and was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1779
  • John Jebb (1775-1833), Irish churchman and writer
  • Katerina Jebb (b. 1962), British-born artist, photographer and film-maker
  • ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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