DIGBY
The surname Digby is a locational surname of English origin which can be traced to a small village situated in the county of Lincolnshire. The name is first recorded in the 11th century, when the settlement was listed in the Domesday Book as Dicbi, and in later medieval accounts as Diggebi. This early usage indicates that the name is firmly embedded in the history of the British Isles.
Its etymology is a combination of the Old Norse personal name Dyki or Dyke together with the Old Norse word byr, meaning a farm or settlement. Hence the surname originally signified “Dyki’s farm” or “Dyki’s settlement”, a descriptive label for the inhabitants of that particular place.
The name appears in legal documents of the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1250 it is found among the Feet of Fines of Lincolnshire as Geoffrey de Dyggeby, and a later reference from 1497 records a Simon Digby in the Feet of Fines of Warwickshire. The earliest known spelling among the family was that of Roger de Digby, dated to the period 1160‑1165 in the Registum Antiquissimum, produced under the reign of King Henry XI.
A prominent bearer of the name was Sir Everard Digby (1578‑1606), a conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot. According to reliable biographical accounts he was converted to Catholicism at the court by John Gerard in 1599, was knighted in 1603, and was later condemned for his involvement in the 1605 plot. He was executed in 1606 after refusing to support his co-conspirators during their final stand at Holbeach House in Staffordshire.
The heraldic arms granted to the Digby family are azure, a fleur‑de‑lis argent, and a canton or; the crest depicts an ostrich argent holding a horseshoe proper in its beak. These symbols appear on documents and monuments associated with the family and are a clear indication of their status and lineage within the English gentry.
Since its inception as a hereditary family name, Digby has remained a recognised surname in England and its former colonies, reflecting a lineage that can be traced through a number of public records, court rolls and church registers. The surname’s continuity attests to the enduring nature of locational surnames in the English naming tradition.
Typical given names associated with the Digby surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Caroline
- Charlotte
- Christina
- Christine
- Claire
- Emma
- Janet
- Kathleen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Digby in...
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Digby are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Choco Leibniz.
There are approximately 2,349 people named Digby in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,687th most common surname in Britain. Around 36 in a million people in Britain are named Digby.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Digby
- Kristian Digby - Television presenter and director (1977 to 2010)
- Fraser Digby - Football player
- Anne Digby - Children's novelist
- Paul Digby - Football player
- Suzi Digby - Conductor
- Jane Digby - Aristocrat (1807 to 1881)
- Kenelm Digby - Courtier and diplomat (1603 to 1665)
- Andrew Wingfield Digby - Cricketer
- Simon Wingfield Digby - Politician (1910 to 1998)
- Derek Digby - Football player (1931 to 2005)
- Kenelm George Digby - -Indian judge (1890 to 1944)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.