Stebbins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Stebbins is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Stebbins family lived in Essex having derived from the Old English word stybbing, meaning stumps, and indicates that the original bearer lived in or near an area which had been cleared of trees.

Early Origins of the Stebbins family

The surname Stebbins was first found in Essex at Stebbing, a small village in the Uttlesford district that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Stibinga and either meant "settlement of the family or followers of a man called Stybba" or "dwellers among the tree-stumps." 1 Although the Old English roots of this name suggest that they pre-date the Normans in Britain, they were also conjecturally descended from Thomas de Colunces who's son Hugh acquired the lands of Stebbing and Woodham Ferrars in Essex, containing two Mills, vines, and five beehives. Thomas was descended from the Colunces of Calvados in Normandy.

Stubbins is an industrial village in the southern part of the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire and dates back to 1563 when it was first listed as Stubbing. It literally meant "a place with tree stumps."1

Early History of the Stebbins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stebbins research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1611, 1647, 1687, 1728, 1735 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Stebbins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stebbins Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Stebbing, Stebing, Stubbings, Stubbing, Stebbings and many more.

Early Notables of the Stebbins family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stebbins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stebbins Ranking

In the United States, the name Stebbins is the 5,850^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Stebbins migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Stebbins or a variant listed above:

Stebbins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Sarah Stebbins, (Stebing), aged 43, from Essex, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Francis", bound for Roxbury
Edmund Stebbins, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1634 3
Rowland Stebbins, (Stebing), aged 40, from Essex, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Francis", bound for Roxbury 3
Mr. Thomas Stebbins, (Stebing), aged 14, from Essex, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Francis", bound for Roxbury 4
Miss Sarah Stebbins, (Stebing), aged 11, from Essex, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Francis", bound for Roxbury 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stebbins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Stebbins, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 3
H Stebbins, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
J Stebbins, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Stebbins (post 1700) +

Nanthaniel Livermore Stebbins (1847-1922), noted American marine photographer
Jon Stebbins, American musician and author of three books about The Beach Boys
Charles Stebbins (1789-1873), American lawyer and politician
Henry George Stebbins (1811-1881), U.S. Representative from New York
Michael Stebbins, American geneticist and science writer
Richard Vaughn Stebbins (b. 1945), former American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 1964 Summer Games
Genevieve Stebbins (1857-1914), American author, teacher, and performer of the Delsarte system of expression
Dan Stebbins, retired American soccer forward
Raymond C. "Ray" Stebbins, United States attorney and political activist
Theodore E. Stebbins Jr., American art historian, museum curator, university professor, and writer
... (Another 36 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Stebbins Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Quiescam
Motto Translation: I shall rest.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm