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Gibbons: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac GiobĂșin · 'son of Gibbon' (a diminutive of Gilbert)

Woulfe (1923) gives Gibbons as one English form of Mac GiobĂșin, 'son of Gibbon', Gibbon being a diminutive of Gilbert, which he calls 'a Norman personal name of Teutonic origin'. He names two families of the name: a branch of the Burkes of Connacht seated to the west of Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo, and a Co. Limerick family. In 1890 Gibbons had 78 births in Ireland, 47 of them in Mayo.

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Coat of arms associated with the Gibbons surname
Irish formMac GiobĂșin
Meaning'son of Gibbon' (a diminutive of Gilbert)
CountiesMayo, Galway, Limerick
Other spellings6

Origin of the Gibbons name

Gibbon, a diminutive of the Norman name Gilbert, was in Irish GiobĂșn, 'the usual form of the name among the Anglo-Normans in Ireland' (Woulfe). Mac GiobĂșin was the name of a branch of the Burkes of Connacht west of Croagh Patrick, Co. Mayo, and of a Co. Limerick family which Woulfe says was 'really descended from Gilbert de Clare'.[1][2]

  1. Beginning of the 14th centuryGilbert de Clare holds the manor of Mahoonagh and other estates in Co. Limerick.[1]
  2. 189078 Gibbons births in Ireland: 57 in Connaught, 47 of them in Mayo.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. MayoBurke branch seated west of Croagh Patrick; 47 of the 78 Gibbons births in 1890.[1][3][5]
Co. Galway7 Gibbons births in Galway in 1890 (Matheson).[3]
Co. LimerickWoulfe: a Mac GiobĂșin family descended from Gilbert de Clare. Of Fitzgibbon births in 1890, 'Limerick contains more than 50 per cent.'[1][4]

Other spellings

MacGibbon · Gibbon · Gibbins · Gibbings · Fitzgibbon · MacKibbon[1]

The Gibbons coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Gibbons surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Gibbons crest gifts

Clan Gibbons Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapBZ13 Classic Cap - Gibbons Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Gibbons Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap$42.45Clan Gibbons Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap SE25 Gibbons Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Gibbons Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap$33.45

Gibbons surname: questions

Is Gibbons an Irish name?

Woulfe gives Gibbons as an English form of the Irish surname Mac GiobĂșin, 'son of Gibbon'. Gibbon is a diminutive of Gilbert, 'a Norman personal name of Teutonic origin', and in Irish, GiobĂșn, it was 'the usual form of the name among the Anglo-Normans in Ireland'.[1][2]

What does the surname Gibbons mean?

'Son of Gibbon', Gibbon being a diminutive of the Norman personal name Gilbert (Woulfe).[1][2]

Where in Ireland is the Gibbons name from?

Above all Co. Mayo: Woulfe places a Burke branch of the name west of Croagh Patrick, and in 1890, 47 of the 78 Gibbons births in Ireland were in Mayo and 7 in Galway.[1][3]

Are Gibbons and Fitzgibbon the same name?

Woulfe lists both, with MacGibbon and others, as English forms of Mac GiobĂșin. In 1890 the two spellings had different centres: Gibbons in Mayo, Fitzgibbon in Limerick.[1][3][4]

Sources

  1. Mac GiobĂșin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macg/mac-giobuin.php
  2. Gilbeart — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/g/gilbeart.php
  3. Gibbons — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/gibbons.php
  4. Fitzgibbon — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/fitzgibbon.php
  5. Registration Province of Connaught (leading surnames by county, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/connaught-names.php
  6. Gibbon (list no. 695) — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/695.php
  7. FitzGibbon (list no. 618) — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/618.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).