Show ContentsScribner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Scribner

What does the name Scribner mean?

Scribner is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. Scribner is a name for a writer to the court. This name comes from the Old French word scriven, which was the title of the person employed to keep official records of trials.

Early Origins of the Scribner family

The surname Scribner was first found in Scriven, a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire. The township comprises about 1598 acres, and includes the villages of Scriven and Tentergate, which latter forms part of the town of Knaresborough. The place name was derived from The Domesday Book 1 entry Scrauing(h) which in turn was derived from the Old English expression "Hollow place with pits" 2

Early History of the Scribner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scribner research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1608, 1609, 1629, 1660, 1688 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Scribner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scribner Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Scribner are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Scribner include Scriven, Scrivener, Scrivenor, Scrivner and others.

Early Notables of the Scribner family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Matthew Scrivener (1580-1609), an English colonist in Virginia, Colonial Governor of Virginia (1608-1609.) Born in Suffolk, England, he drowned at the age of 28 with eight other colonists, while attempting to cross to nearby Hog Island in a storm in 1609. His brother John Scrivener...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Scribner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scribner Ranking

In the United States, the name Scribner is the 4,621st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Scribner family to Ireland

Some of the Scribner family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Scribner migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Scribner, or a variant listed above:

Scribner Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Benjamin Scribner, who landed in Connecticut in 1680 4
Scribner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • G F Scribner, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Scribner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Scribner Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Elias Scribner, who arrived in New Brunswick in 1783
  • Hesekiah Scribner, who arrived in New Brunswick in 1783
  • Thaddeus Scribner, who landed in New Brunswick in 1783
  • Mr. Elias Scribner U.E. born in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA who settled in Kings County, New Brunswick c. 1783 passenger aboard the Union Transport, he was a Shoemaker, 5
  • Mr. Hesekiah Scribner U.E. born in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA who settled in Kings County, New Brunswick c. 1783 passenger aboard the Union Transport, he was a Farmer 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Scribner (post 1700) +

  • William Charles "Bucky" Scribner (1960-2017), American NFL football Punter who played for the Green Bay Packers (1983–1984) and the Minnesota Vikings (1987–1989)
  • Norman Orville Scribner (1936-2015), American conductor, composer, pianist, and organist, founder of The Choral Arts Society of Washington
  • Sam A. Scribner (1859-1941), American circus and burlesque impresario, co-founder of Columbia Amusement in 1902, who hired a roof worker on one of his theaters to be an actor named Will Rogers
  • Harvey Bertram Scribner (1914-2002), American educator and administrator, New York City School Chancellor
  • Gilbert Hilton Scribner (1831-1910), American lawyer and politician, Secretary of State of New York (1872-1873)
  • Lucy Skidmore Scribner (1853-1931), American founder of Skidmore College
  • Sylvia Scribner (1923-1991), American psychologist and educational researcher
  • Sheila Scribner (b. 1984), American singer, songwriter, and voice-over artist
  • Sheila Scribner (b. 1984), American singer, songwriter, and performer
  • Keith Scribner, American novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter, essayist, and educator
  • ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X


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