Torbyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland
• England

Etymology of Torbyn

When the Anglo-Normans began to settle in Ireland, they brought the tradition of local surnames to an island which already had a Gaelic naming system of hereditary surnames established. Unlike the Irish, the Anglo-Normans had an affinity for local surnames. Local surnames, such as Torbyn, were formed from the names of a place or a geographical landmark where the person lived, held land, or was born. The earliest Anglo-Norman surnames of this type came from Normandy, but as the Normans moved, they created names that referred to where they actually resided. Therefore, English places were used for names when the Normans lived in England, and then Irish places after these particular Anglo-Normans had been settled in Ireland for some time. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. However, this type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or it was eliminated entirely. The Torbyn family originally lived in the settlement of Aubyn in France. Thus, the surname Torbyn belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. The Torbyn family was originally called St. Aubyn, which was eventually corrupted to Torbyn. The Gaelic form of the surname is Tóibín.

Early Origins of the Torbyn family

Early History of the Torbyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Torbyn research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1819 is included under the topic Early Torbyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Torbyn Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, a single person often had their name recorded by church officials and scribes many different ways. Names were typically spelt as they sounded, which resulted in many different spelling variations. The many versions of the name Torbyn to have been recorded over the years include: Tobin, Torbyn, Tobyn and others.

Early Notables of the Torbyn family

More information is included under the topic Early Torbyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Torbyn family

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Torbyn: David Tobin settled in Philadelphia in 1798; Edward Tobin arrived in Philadelphia in 1838; Edward Tobin settled in New England in 1695.