Surname Yorborough - Meaning and Origin

Yorborough: What does the surname Yorborough mean?

The last name Yorborough is of English origin and belongs to the toponymic class of surnames, which are derived from a place-name. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word burh, meaning fortified place, or a hill, combined with one of the personal names in which the element yor is important—this variant of George was popular in the Middle Ages.

The surname Yorborough is most common in Yorkshire as its first recorded use can be traced back to Yorkshire in 1360. Records show that the name was often spelled as ‘Yorkborough’, ‘Yorkelburgh’ or ‘Yorberge’. It is also found elsewhere, mainly the Midlands and North East, though also further afield.

Throughout its history, the Yorborough name has been associated with people of noble birth and courage, making it a source of pride for those who bear it. It is usually associated with strength of character and loyalty.

Given its place-name origins, those with the last name Yorborough, or Yorkborough, can trace their roots back to the English county of Yorkshire. Even today, the majority of those with the name hail from Yorkshire, either in the UK or abroad, proving that this connection remains strong.

Yorborough: Where does the name Yorborough come from?

The surname Yorborough is most commonly found today in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The name is also found in South Africa and parts of Europe, though it is not as prevalent in those countries as it is in the other five.

In the United Kingdom, Yorborough is mainly concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire and Durham in the North East of England, as well as in County Durham and across the Pennines to West Yorkshire. It is also present in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk.

In the United States, the surname Yorborough (which is sometimes anglicised from Yorburgh or Yorbury) is found in large numbers in states such as Ohio, Indiana, California, New York and Maine. There are also smaller concentrations of Yorborough found in Texas, Illinois, Michigan, and other states across the US.

Further afield, Yorborough is most common in Canada, with a large presence in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, as well as being looked for in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec. The name is also found in Australia and New Zealand, most notably in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

Numerically, the highest concentration of the name Yorborough seems to be within the United Kingdom, however tracing the name outside of this region reveals its presence across the globe.

Variations of the surname Yorborough

The surname Yorborough is derived from the Old English personal name Eadbald. It is also found as Yorboro, Yorburough, Yorburrow, Yorbury, Yorbery, Yerburg and Yerbarrow. The earliest mention of the family can be found in the Bolling Hall Estate Records of 1382, during the reign of Edward III.

Variants of the surname were generally an evolution of spelling because of a lack of standardization in spelling conventions up until recent centuries. Examples of variant spellings include Yorbrough, Yorburrow, Yorberye and Yerbery. In some instances, double consonants such as the ‘rr’ in Yorburrow were interchangeable.

Surnames which have a common origin with Yorborough include Yarborough and Jarborough. The latter is a more frequent spelling in northern England and Scotland, while the former is more common in southern England. There are also orthographic variants of this surname such as Yarburrow, Jorbrough and Jerbrough.

The Latinized version of the surname is Yorbourghus. Latinized surnames were frequently used by people in positions of power and influence such as churchmen in the Middle Ages. This surname was also found in the Latin form of Berbroughus in a book of legal records from the time of King Edward III.

An official version of the surname was issued by the College of Arms in 1596, which changed the spelling to Yorborough. This spelling became the official standard for differentiating members of the Yorborough family from those with other surnames. The spelling of the surname has remained relatively consistent in the modern era.

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Other surnames

Yorboro