Maben

This interesting and unusual surname is of Scottish origin, and derives from the medieval given name "Maban, Mabon", which is cognate with the Welsh "Mabon", and represents the British "Maponos", great son. British (as above) refers to the extinct Celtic language of the ancient Britons. The surname may also be a diminutive of the medieval female given name "Mab(be)", a short form of the Middle English, Old French, "Amabel", from the Latin "amabilis", loveable. This was quite a common Christian name after the mid 12th Century. The form Mabel became more popular than "Amabel", and was also in use then; an early example was Mabel of Gatton, who lived in the 13th Century and was a horsewoman. This is one of a handful of surnames which were derived from the name of the first bearer's mother; these were the names of women who were either widows for the greater part of their adult lives, or else heiresses in their own right. William Maben is noted in Galloscheils (1657) and John Mabone is noted in Coblehouse in 1662. The marriage of Andrew Mabon and Sarah Wright took place in 1806 at the church of St. George's, Hanover Square, London. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family is a blue shield charged with a silver fetterlock and key. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Emanuelle Mabon, which was dated 1558, in the "Patent Rolls of London", during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, 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.