Show ContentsMashburn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Mashburn reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Mashburn family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Mashburn family lived at Washbourne in Devon. 1 The Domesday Book lists the village as Waseborne 2 and literally meant "stream used for washing (sheep or clothes.)" 3

Alternatively, the name could have originated at Washburn, in Yorkshire or at Great Washbourne or Little Washbourne, parishes in Gloucestershire. 4 The Gloucestershire parishes actually date back to Saxon times when they were collectively known as Uassanburnan in 780. By the time of the Domesday Book both were known Waseborne. 2

Early Origins of the Mashburn family

The surname Mashburn was first found in Devon where it is related the family took their name from Waseborne, now Wasbourne in that county soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066. This village was granted to Hermer from Gotshelm. 1

By the end of the 11th century they had branched to Worcestershire where they became a family great consequence. They were generations of knights at the Manor at the Washbournes intermarring with the distinguished families of Zouch, Corbett, Wysham, Blount and the Earls of Warwick. Sir Roger Washbourne is the first on record.

Early rolls reveal Williara de Wasseburn listed in the Pipe Rolls for Worcestershire in 1204. John Washburn was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire c. 1280 and William de Wasshebourn was found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1333. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William de Wassebourn in Huntingdonshire and Anthony Washbourne from Worcestershire was registered at Oxford University (no date given.) 5

Early History of the Mashburn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mashburn research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1598, 1599, 1606, 1616, 1631, 1654, 1687, 1759, 1760, 1824, 1829 and 1833 are included under the topic Early Mashburn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mashburn Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Mashburn include Washbourne, Washburn, Washborne, Washborn and others.

Early Notables of the Mashburn family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Washbourne, High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1631; and Thomas Washbourne (1606-1687), an English clergyman and poet, Canon of Gloucester, best known for his 1654 book Divine Poems. "He was younger son of John Washbourne of Wichenford, Worcestershire. The Washbourne family had been settled in Gloucestershire for several centuries. " 6John Washbourn (1760?-1829), was a local historian, son of John Washbourn (d. 1824?) and was descended from an ancient Gloucestershire family (Burke...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mashburn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mashburn Ranking

In the United States, the name Mashburn is the 5,866th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Mashburn family

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Mashburns to arrive on North American shores: Margerie Washborn settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635 with her two sons, Joe, and Phillip; John Washborne settled in Virginia in 1619; one year before the ".


Contemporary Notables of the name Mashburn (post 1700) +

  • Joe Mashburn, American Dean of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston
  • Brian Mashburn, American guitarist and vocalist in the ska band Save Ferris
  • Jesse William Mashburn (b. 1933), former American Olympic athlete
  • Jamal Mashburn (b. 1972), retired American professional basketball player
  • Pinckney H. Mashburn, American Republican politician, McDowell County Sheriff, 1903-11; Member of North Carolina State Senate, 1911; Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from McDowell County, 1913-14 8
  • Lloyd A. Mashburn, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1944, 1948, 1952 8
  • Gray Mashburn, American Democratic Party politician, Nevada State Attorney General, 1931 8
  • Charles B. Mashburn, American Republican politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Madison County, 1893-94; Member of North Carolina State Senate 35th District, 1913-14 8


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  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. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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