Killby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Killby

The name Killby is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in the region of Kilby located both in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. Killby is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Killby family

Early History of the Killby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Killby research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1351, 1560, 1610 and 1620 are included under the topic Early Killby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Killby Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Killby were recorded, including Kilby, Kilbey, Killbey, Kilbee, Kilbie, Kelby and many more.

Early Notables of the Killby family

Richard Kilby (1560-1620), an English scholar and priest. He was a graduate of Lincoln College, Oxford, which he also served as rector. He was appointed Regius Professor of Divinity in 1610, and served in the...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Killby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Killby family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Killby family emigrate to North America: Henry Kilby settled in Virginia in 1635; Peter Kilby settled in Virginia in 1634; William Kilbye settled in Boston in 1767; Henry Kilbie settled in Virginia in 1637..