Show ContentsPettibone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Pettibone

What does the name Pettibone mean?

The origins of the Pettibone surname date from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name originated with an early member who was a small person. The surname Pettibone originally derived from the Old French word Petit which referred to small or tiny. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

Early Origins of the Pettibone family

The surname Pettibone was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times as Lords of the Manor of Ilmington conjecturally descended from the land holder recorded in the Domesday Book survey taken in 1086 A.D., as being held by Alric the pre-conquest holder from Robert of Stafford.

Early History of the Pettibone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pettibone research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1124, 1296, 1382, 1395, 1548, 1566, 1567, 1583, 1589, 1621, 1623, 1628, 1629, 1639, 1660, 1661 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Pettibone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pettibone 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. Pettibone has been recorded under many different variations, including Pettey, Petty, Pettie, Pety, Petie and others.

Early Notables of the Pettibone family

Notables of the family at this time include Maximilian Petty (c 1583-1639), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1628 to 1629; Edmund Petty (c. 1621-1661), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660; and Sir William Petty FRS (1623-1687)...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pettibone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pettibone family to Ireland

Some of the Pettibone 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.


Pettibone 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 Pettibone or a variant listed above:

Pettibone Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Richard Pettibone, who landed in Virginia in 1641 1

Pettibone migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pettibone Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Johnson Pettibone, who arrived in Canada in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Pettibone (post 1700) +

  • Jonathan H. Pettibone (b. 1990), American professional starting pitcher for the New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
  • Shep Pettibone, American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ
  • Augustus Herman Pettibone (1835-1918), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee (1881-1887) and (1897-1899)
  • Dudley Pettibone Ely (1817-1895), American politician, 1st and 3rd Mayor of South Norwalk, Connecticut (1870-1872), (1876-1877)


  1. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook