the surname forbes?

Question

this was my grandmothers last name from my moms side
i would like to know info on it

Answer 1

If you live in the UK i recommend that you got to
www.spatial-literacy.org
/uclnames
/surnames.aspx

This will tell you which region in the uk the surname was common and the frequency of the surname in 1881 and 1998.
It is apparently a scottish surname common in the north of scotland.

Answer 2

House of Names is a coat of arms peddler.

The family history might be yours and might not. The companies that sell them do so based solely on a surname which is not valid. Actually, I counted 14 with the name Forbes in Burke's Peerage, but the peddlers that sell them will have only one as they know that there are people who will buy them because it has their surname. This does not mean everyone with the Forbes surname is any way related to the 14 that have a coat of arms, much less be a direct descendant of the person granted a coat of arms.

Coats of arms were issued to individuals wno passed them on to their sons.

I might add for Katesmate. We are not here to entertain the regulars on this board who read all the answers. I read them too.
We are here to help and inform people who have never been on this board and have never seen the answers we have for those who want information on a surname.

Our main intention should not be to rack up points, but to help others.

Answer 3

If you made another post giving your grandmother's information perhaps someone could help. Without names dates and places, impossible. You surely wouldn't want to read about someone else's ancestor instead.

If you don't feel comfortable giving her info on a yahoo message board - and I'm not sure I would either - go to the surname message boards at ancestry.com, rootsweb.com or genforum.com. Research those a little before posting's a good idea too..

Answer 4

For more information, I would suggest asking this question on the Forbes genealogy message boards at:

http://genforum.genealogy.com/forbes

and

http://boards.ancestry.com/surnames.forbes/mb.ashx

From ancestry.com:

Last Name
forbes

1. Scottish: habitational name from a place near Aberdeen, so named from Gaelic forba ‘field’, ‘district’ + the locative suffix -ais. The place name is pronounced in two syllables, with the stress on the second, and the surname until recently reflected this. Today, however, it is generally a monosyllable.
2. Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Firbhisigh ‘son of Fearbhisigh’, a personal name composed of Celtic elements meaning ‘man’ + ‘prosperity’. A family of this name in Connacht was famous for its traditional historians, compilers of the Book of Lecan.

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/Fact.aspx?&fid=10&fn=&ln=forbes

Good luck,
Dave
--
http://www.familypulse.org

Answer 5

I think these websites should get you started. Forbes is from Scotland, but figure out about your grandmother's family first before worrying about looking in Scotland.

http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/f/forbes.php
http://www.winslowtree.com/surname-meaning.php?surname=FORBES
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/forbes/
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/dtog/forbes.html
http://www.electricscotland.com/history/nation/forbes.htm
http://ancestry.com/
http://genforum.genealogy.com/forbes/

Answer 6

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/Fact.aspx?fid=10&ln=Forbes
I have to say it Shirley T if nothing else your consistant, I have just looked at some of your answers and they all have the same reply " beware of the coat of arms peddlers", people will make there own choices, so change your answer make it interesting and see how your popularity rating goes up.

Answer 7

Have a look at this link
http://www.houseofnames.com/fc.asp?sId=&s=Forbes
hope it helps.