Ebrey / Ebery Surname Origins

The Ebrey surname and its variations are found most often in Shropshire and neighboring Cheshire to the north and Staffordshire to the east, in England. Landmarks in Shropshire carrying the surname are Ebrey Wood and Ebury Hill fort, both located south of Bings Heath which itself is northeast of Shrewsbury. The Ebury Hill fort, tracing to the Iron Age, is also called Ebury Camp.

A theory about the origin of the Ebry / Ebrey surname is found in A Guide to Shropshire by Michael Raven. He says that both Ebrey and Ebury are from the Old English ea-burh meaning the fort by the river or stream. Buhr or bury is a fortified place, with "bury" found in a great many English place names such as Shrewsbury in Shropshire and Sudbury in Staffordshire.

Variations in spelling of the name that I've discovered include Eabrey, Eabry, Ebbry, Ebry, Ebery, Ebrey, Eberey, Ebary, Ebiry, Ebury but also Abery, Abrey, Aberey, Aubrey. Others may exist. Five of these variations are shown in the Shropshire Parish registers published in 1911 by the Shropshire Parish Register Society. Five variations are in this Shropshire surname list.

Of course, pronunciation often influences spelling. So we are not surprised to find that Debrett's states that that the surname Ebury is pronounced Ee-bri -- leading to spellings such as Ebry, Ebrey and more. Debrett's is a noted authority on all matters etiquette, including surname pronunciation.

In 1881, the Ebrey surname was found most often in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, and located just 9 miles from the border of England and Wales. See the National Trust 1881 results for frequency of the the Ebrey surname.

Read more about Shrewsbury and see a Shropshire map for more insights.