Tre(e)by Surname History

This surname, widely recorded in Devonshire Church Records from the mid 16th Century under the variant spellings Trabie, Tre(e)aby, Treby and Tribye is of medieval English origin, and is a locational name from Traboe in the parish of St Keverne, Cornwall.

Recorded as Trefmurabo in 977; as Treurabo, circa 1240; and as Trrabo in 1611, the component elements of place name are the Cornish Tre, homestead, settlement, with the personal name Corabo, equivalent to the old Welsh "Cuorabui, Guorapui". (The above recordings show the mutation of "g" to "w" in the personal name, and then the loss of that syllable).

Locational names such as this, were originally given to landowners, and the lord of the manor, and especially as a means of identification to those who left their birthplace to settle elsewhere.

On February 5th 1570 Elizabeth Tribye and John Tucker where married in Bradworthy, Devonshire and on 9th Mat 1630, Elizabeth, daughter of John Treeby, was christened in Yealmpton, Devonshire.

A coat of arms granted to the family is a black shield with a silver lion rampant, collared baire azure and erminois, in chief three bezants, the crest being a demi silver lion collared as in the arms.

The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Trabie, which was dated February 9th 1567, christened at Yealmpton, Devonshire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558-1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Details obtained by the Name Origin Research, York, England (01904 653536)