Eby
A surname of Germanic origin, most likely a short form related to names like Ebi or Eberhard.
The #5,155 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 45,497 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Eby is generally treated as a shortened German or Swiss German surname, probably from a personal name such as Ebi, itself a pet form of longer names beginning with the old German element eber-, meaning "boar." In some cases it may also reflect a reduced form of an older given name rather than a direct nickname. The surname’s compact shape fits the pattern of many German-language family names that began as diminutives or short forms of forenames.
History
The name is found especially among German-speaking immigrant communities in North America, including Pennsylvania and Canada. Nineteenth-century surname lists already show Eby as an established family name, and later reference works connect it with German forms such as Ebi. It is now best known in the United States through descendants of Swiss German and other German immigrant lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname compilers often grouped Eby with very short German names like Erb and Epp, showing how common clipped family-name forms were in immigrant communities.
From the historical record
“Kettleby.— Local ,' of Ketcl eby,' a hamlet in the parish of Vinviby, CO. Lincolti; the by or dwelling of Kettle, the first settler. 1380. Ja]inKe«1eb<e,ee.Wocc:ReE.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances