McKibbin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The surname McKibbin is derived from the name Gibb, a short form of the Norman personal name Gilbert. This name was originally derived from the name Gislebert, which is comprised of the Germanic elements "gisil," which means "hostage" or "noble youth," and "berht," which means "bright" or "famous." The name features the distinctive Irish patronymic prefix "fitz," which means "son of" in Anglo-French. This is derived from the Old French word "fils," which ultimately comes from the Latin word "filius," both of which mean "son." The Gaelic form of the surname McKibbin is Mac Giobúin.

Early Origins of the McKibbin family

The surname McKibbin was first found in counties of Mayo and Limerick, where two distinct families arose shortly after Strongbow invasion of Ireland in 1172. The majority of the family hails from Mayo and were a branch of the great Burke family.

They were originally known as MacGibbon Burke. They gave their name to Ballymacgibbon in County Mayo. The Limerick FitzGibbon families are descended from John Fitzgerald, whose three sons became hereditary knights of Desmond in 1333.

Two branches of this family, known respectively as the knights of Glin and the knights of Kerry, remained Fitzgeralds. However, the third branch became known by the surname Fitzgibbon and was led by the White Knight, Maurice FitzGibbon, son of Sir Gilbert fitz John, eldest illegitimate son of John FitzGerald, 1st Baron Desmond. The territory of this branch lay in the southeastern corner of Limerick near County Cork. 1

Early History of the McKibbin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McKibbin research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1357, 1419, 1496, 1530, 1543, 1552, 1569, 1575, 1596 and 1608 are included under the topic Early McKibbin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McKibbin Spelling Variations

A single person's name was often spelt simply as it sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. An investigation into the specific origins the name McKibbin has revealed that such a practice has resulted in many spelling variations over the years. A few of its variants include: Fitzgibbon, Fitzgibbons, MacGibbon, Gibbon, Gibbons, Gibben, Gibbens, Gibbin, Gibbins and many more.

Early Notables of the McKibbin family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Maurice Fitzgibbon, 1st White Knight (d. 1357), second son of John Oge Fitzgerald, alias Fitzgibbon (d. 1569), and Ellen, daughter of Patrick Condon, lord of Condons, accompanied James Fitzmaurice to France in March 1575, returning in July. 2David Fitzgibbon, was the 2nd White Knight; John Fitzgibbon, 3rd White Knight; Maurice Fitzgibbon, 4th White Knight...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McKibbin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McKibbin migration to the United States +

Ireland experienced a dramatic decrease in its population during the 19th century. This was in a great measure, a response to England's imperialistic policies. Hunger and disease took the lives of many Irish people and many more chose to leave their homeland to escape the horrific conditions. North America with its promise of work, freedom, and land was an extremely popular destination for Irish families. For those families that survived the journey, all three of these things were often attained through much hard work and perseverance. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name McKibbin:

McKibbin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph McKibbin, aged 40, who arrived in New York in 1800 3
George McKibbin, who landed in New York in 1810 3
Adam McKibbin, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
Thomas McKibbin, aged 26, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1855 3
Edward McKibbin, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States from Ireland, in 1893

McKibbin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

John McKibbin, aged 18, who settled in America from Antrim, Ireland, in 1907
John McKibbin, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States from Kilkeel, Ireland, in 1907
John McKibbin, aged 35, who landed in America from Killinchy, Ireland, in 1909
Janet McKibbin, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from Killinchy, Ireland, in 1909
Alexander McKibbin, aged 39, who landed in America from Down, Ireland, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

McKibbin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McKibbin Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

James McKibbin, aged 63, who immigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1918

Contemporary Notables of the name McKibbin (post 1700) +

Katherine Nicole "Nikki" McKibbin (1978-2020), American rock music singer-songwriter
John S. McKibbin (1947-2016), American Democratic politician and businessman, Clark County Commissioner (1978-1990), Member of the Washington House of Representatives (1974-1978)
Joseph Chambers McKibbin (1824-1896), American Democratic politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1857-1859)
Joseph Chambers McKibbin (1824-1896), American Democratic Party politician, Member of California State Senate, 1852-53; U.S. Representative from California at-large, 1857-59 4
John McKibbin, American Republican politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Walworth County, 1858 4
George B. McKibbin, American Republican politician, Candidate for Mayor of Chicago, Illinois, 1943; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1952, 1960; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 2nd District, 1956 4
Chambers McKibbin (1798-1891), American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1845-49; Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 33rd District, 1875-76 4
Colonel Alan John McKibbin OBE , JP , DL (1892-1958), Northern Irish company director and politician
Thomas Robert McKibbin (1870-1939), Australian cricketer
Warwick McKibbin (b. 1957), Australian Professor of Economics

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html