Contents [hide]

Tobin History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Tobin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

Etymology of Tobin

What does the name Tobin mean?

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 Tobin, 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 Tobin family originally lived in the settlement of Aubyn in France. Thus, the surname Tobin 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 Tobin family was originally called St. Aubyn, which was eventually corrupted to Tobin. The Gaelic form of the surname is Tóibín.

Early Origins of the Tobin family

The surname Tobin was first found in Devon, where they held a family seat at the manor of Ashton known as "Place Barton," the heiress of this line married Sir John St. Aubyns. Sir John was the heir of the St. Aubyns of St. Aubyn du Thenney in Normandy, and was possessed of considerable estates at Pickwell, Georgeham, Berynarber, and Paracombe in north Devon. The name St. Aubyn gradually eroded to Torbyn and then Tobyn.

Early History of the Tobin family

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

Tobin Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes often spelled early surnames as they sounded. This practice often resulted in many spelling variations of even a single name. Early versions of the name Tobin included: Tobin, Torbyn, Tobyn and others.

Early Notables of the Tobin family

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

Tobin World Ranking

In the United States, the name Tobin is the 1,761^st most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Tobin is ranked the 71^st most popular surname with an estimated 380 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Tobin is the 902^nd popular surname with an estimated 4,364 people with that name. 3

Tobin migration to the United States +

Ireland went through one of the most devastating periods in its history with the arrival of the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. Many also lost their lives from typhus, fever and dysentery. And poverty was the general rule as tenant farmers were often evicted because they could not pay the high rents. Emigration to North America gave hundreds of families a chance at a life where work, freedom, and land ownership were all possible. For those who made the long journey, it meant hope and survival. The Irish emigration to British North America and the United States opened up the gates of industry, commerce, education and the arts. Early immigration and passenger lists have shown many Irish people bearing the name Tobin:

Tobin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Tobin, who landed in Maryland in 1659 4
Edward Tobin, who settled in New England in 1695

Tobin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Morris Tobin, who landed in Virginia in 1714 4
Walter Tobin, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 4
David Tobin, who settled in Philadelphia in 1798

Tobin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Tobin, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 4
Edward Tobin, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1838
James, David, Edward, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, Walter, and William Tobin all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870
Michael Tobin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1840 4
Edmund Tobin, aged 30, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1842 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tobin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

William Tobin, who landed in Alabama in 1921 4

Tobin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tobin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Nicholas Tobin, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1804
Sarah Whelan Tobin, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1823
Judith Tobin, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1828
David Tobin, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1829
Joanna Tobin, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1829
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tobin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tobin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Edward Tobin, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. James Tobin, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Miss Catherine Tobin, Irish convict who was convicted in Cork County for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 21st March 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia then transported on to Tasmania per "Elizabeth Henrietta" 7
Mr. John Tobin, English brick layer who was convicted in London, England for life for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Francis Tobin, (b. 1809), aged 19, Irish turner who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Fergusson" on 16th November 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tobin migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Tobin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Tobin, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 10
Mr. Thomas Tobin, Irish labourer from Ireland travelling from London aboard the ship "Strathallan" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st January 1859 11
Mr. Edward Tobin, (b. 1835), aged 25, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 10
Miss. Margaret Tobin, (b. 1837), aged 23, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 10
Miss. Annie Tobin, (b. 1840), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gananoque" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 9th May 1860 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Tobin (post 1700) +

Bill Tobin (1941-2024), American football player and executive
Robert Deam Tobin (1961-2022), American Henry J Leir Chair in Literature, Language and Culture at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts from 2008 to 2022
Vincent Michael "Vince" Tobin (1943-2023), American football college player and head coach of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL)
Mary Louise Tobin (1918-2022), American jazz singer and musician who appeared with Benny Goodman, Bobby Hackett, Will Bradley, and Jack Jenney
Maurice Joseph Tobin (1901-1953), American politician, 47th Mayor of Boston, 56th Governor of Massachusetts, and 6th U.S. Secretary of Labor
Daniel Joseph Tobin (1875-1955), Irish-born, American labor leader, President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (1907-1952)
James Anthony Tobin (1912-1969), nicknamed Abba Dabba, American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played from 1937 through 1945
Connor Tobin (b. 1987), American soccer player
John Tobin (1892-1969), American Major League Baseball player
James Tobin (1918-2002), Nobel-Prize-winning American economist
... (Another 36 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Tobin family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Patrick Joseph Tobin (1869-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 12
Miss Monica Tobin (1914-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 12

Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)

Mark Lawrence Tobin (1967-1988), American Student from North Hempstead, New York, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 13

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Nora Tobin, English 3rd Class passenger residing in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 14

RMS Titanic

Mr. Roger Tobin (d. 1912), aged 20, Irish Third Class passenger from Cahir, Tipperary who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 15

SS Newfoundland

Mr. Mike Tobin (b. 1887), Newfoundlander from Fermeuse, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived

The Tobin 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: Noli me tangere
Motto Translation: Touch me not.

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fergusson
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html