Show ContentsKillboyrne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Killboyrne is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in one of three places: Kilbourne, a township, in the parish of Horsley, union of Belper, hundred of Morleston and Litchurch, in Derbyshire; or Kilburn, a hamlet, in Middlesex; or Kilburn, a parish in the North Riding of Yorkshire. 1

It is generally thought that the Yorkshire parish is the oldest as it was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Chileburne. 2 The Middlesex (Greater London) parish dates back to c. 1130 when it was known as Cuneburna and finally the Derbyshire parish was known as Kileburn in 1179. All were derived from the Old English "stream by a kiln 3 or "stream of a man called Cylla." 4

Early Origins of the Killboyrne family

The surname Killboyrne was first found in Derbyshire where Ralph le Kylburn was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 5

A few years later in 1284, Richard de Killeburne was listed in Yorkshire and later again, Thomas de Kilburn was similarly listed there in 1305. 6

Early History of the Killboyrne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Killboyrne research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1576, 1587, 1605, 1623, 1626, 1746 and 1807 are included under the topic Early Killboyrne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Killboyrne Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Killboyrne family name include Kilborne, Kilbourn, Kilbourne, Kilburn, Kilburne and others.

Early Notables of the Killboyrne family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Killboyrne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Killboyrne family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Killboyrne surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Thomas and his wife Frances Kilborne along with children Margaret, Lydia, Joe, Francis, Elizabeth, Margaret, Mary, George, and Thomas, settled in Boston in 1634.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  4. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. 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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