The family name Thurber or Thorber is a shortened form of Thorebern or Thorbern, the latter occuring in the Doomsday book A.D. 1086, and both in Hundred Rolls, A.D. 1273. It is traced back to Old Norse Thorbjorn, Thor-bear, and modern Thorburn.
It is believed that Priscilla, wife of John (1) Thurber was the daughter of John Allen or Alden and Elizabeth Bacon. See Salters History of Monmouth and Ocean Co., NJ.
[I have checked the book by Edwin Salter. In it he says, referring to John Allen, ". . . (he) was probably the same named in Friends records of Newport R. I., as marrying Elizabeth Bacon, Oct. 14, 1650. He had children Elizabeth, b. 1651; Mary, b. 1652; John b. 1654; Priscilla b. 1659; Samuel b. 1661. All of his children were born at Newport. And he May have been the same John Allen named a few years previous at Rohoboth [sic], Mass. . ." The name Thurber is not mentioned. In addition, Priscilla, daughter of John Allen and Elizabeth Bacon born in 1659, could not be the wife of John Thurber. A memo on the back of John Thurber's will written in 1703/04 stated he had been married more than 57 years. That would mean he was likely married in 1646/7, 12 years before the birth of Priscilla Allen. Most of the children of John and Priscilla Thurber were b. before Priscilla Allen was born.] Another interpretation of name. - Thorber is the spelling given in
Heraldry and a
very ancient origin.
Book A - Page X6.
Probably the same as Thorsby of Hay Co., Brecon. Formerly of Leeds
Co., York and derived from Jos Patrick, Lord of Thoresby.
The arms could indicate German extraction as shown. Metal on Metal
a rule only
followed by Germans.
Dictionary of Ancestral Heads of New England families - 1620 to 1670 Pg
XXXVII Thurber
The name is a contraction of Thoreborn of Icelandic origin and was
established in England by Norseman, William Thoreborn who resided in
Oxfordshire in the
13th century
and were armour makers. (P.S. that may be why the coat-of -arms bears a
helmet on top of the chevron).
Origin of Surnames By Beardsley
Norway - Sweden - Iceland - Welsh - and English surnames.
Scandinavian - Thorbear meaning the bear.
Old Norse or Icelandic Thor-biorn and Thor-bjorn meaning the bear
Ols Norse (Danish) Thors means the brook of Thors, which is the old
Norse god of Thunder
who gave his name to Thursday - changing the "o" to "u" in Thor making it
Thur.
Old Norse Thor-biorn was Anglicized to Thurbeorn, Old English "beorn"
meaning the warrior.
Torbern and Turbern are the Doomsday forms. Thorbern, Thurbarn,
Thurburn and Thurbern occur as surnames in the Hundred Rolls A.D. 1274.
See Surnames of United
Kingdom, by Harrison.
In England the names used today are spelt Thurburn, Thorburn, Thorbern,
and Thurbern.
In France the names are Turber and Turbert.
P.S. We believe in the colonies when John and family came over in 1669
he dropped the "n" from Thurbern leaving us Thurber From early records and
baptisms in
Swansea, MA, I find Thurbur, Therber but they all
Book A - Page X7
trace back to John Thurber only records found, therefore the name of
Thurber now in America and Canada and elsewhere are all from him - per
records as you read on in
history of Thurbers as the name Thurber was used in new England after
1st records
of john Thurber 1669 so we are genealogically of the same kin classed as
commoners by the parliament
of England.
As foreign countries give coat of arms to the head of families and it
is passed on to oldest son who is living at time of death only one of that
family can use it, but in
America as no coat of arms is given, anyone with name can use coat of arms
of any family if
married in to. I find Thurbers can use many different ones on my own line.
I can use Bliss,
Wheeler, Beck, Marlin and Towle and there are many others on different
lines that can be used. I
have besides my own pictures of those mentioned above.