Eby

This interesting surname with variant spellings Ebi, Eby, Eb(er)lein, Eberle, etc., is a diminutive of the Germanic personal name "Everard". The component elements of the given name are "eber" meaning wild boar plus "hard" brave, hardy, or strong. The surname is first recorded in Germany in the early 16th Century, (see below). The marriage of Sebolt Eble and Barbara Werber took place on February 2nd 1609, at Ettenheim, Freiburg, Baden, Germany, and Andreas, son of Sebolt and Barbara Eble, was christened on March 14th 1613, at the same place. A coat of arms granted to the Eble family of Paris is recorded heraldically in "Rietstap's Armorial General". It consists of a quartered shield with a gold cross overall, in the 1st quarter there is gold corn on a blue field, the second and third quarters depict swords in saltire on a red field and in the fourth quarter there is a gold lion rampant on a blue field. The definitions of the armorial colours are; gold-denotes generosity and elevation; blue - signifies loyalty and truth; and red - denotes military fortitude and magnanimity. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Jacob Ebels, married, which was dated 1525, in Lengefelt, Chemnitz, Sachsen, Germany, during the reign of King Charles V, known as "The Habsburg Emperor", 1519 - 1558. 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.