This interesting surname of Irish origin with variant spellings Cribbin, Crebbin, Gribbin, Gribbon, etc., is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Roibin, a patronymic from the Anglo Norman French given name "Robin", itself a diminutive of Robert, from the shore form "Rob" plus the hypocoristic suffix "in". The surname dates back to the mid 17th Century, (see below). Church recordings include one Thoa Cribben who was christened on February 26th 1771, at Lincolns Inn Fields, Holborn, Mary, daughter of Thomas and Catherine Cribbin, was christened on February 13th 1777 and their daughter Jane was christened on July 2nd 1787 both at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster. One Christian Ann Cribben married William Cody on July 28th 1799, at St. Giles, Cripplegate, and Ellen Cribben married Moses Litttlewood on May 24th 1832, at St. John's, Wakefield, Yorkshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Crebbin, which was dated 1640, Manx Names, during the reign of King Charles 1, known as "The Martyr", 1625 - 1649. 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.

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