Ebelthite

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Ebelthite is a rare English surname. It does not appear in records before about 1720 and is thought to be a variant of Hebblethwaite, a place name near Sedbergh. The “thwaite” part comes from Old Norse and means a piece of land or paddock.

In England, Ebelthite families can be found around London and in clusters in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Kent, with roots going back to 1720. A branch later moved to South Africa (emigrating around 1840), and there are also families in Australia and very small numbers in Canada and the United States; all appear to trace back to England.

There are many spellings of the name, including Ebblewhit, Ebblethait, Ablethwaite, Aplewhite, Ebelwhite, Abtewhite, Eblethwyte, Ebblethwaite, Ebblewight, Applethwait, Ebelwite, Hebblethwaite, Hebblewaite, Hebblewhite, Hepplewhite, Ebblewhite and Hiblethwaite. The Guild of One-Name Studies lists Ebelthite and several variants.

Heraldry has been associated with the name. In 1570, James Heblethwayte of Malton, Yorkshire was granted arms by Sir G. Dethick, Garter King of Arms. Burke’s General Armory notes arms for Heblethwayte of Sedbergh and Malton. In the 1890s, the College of Arms granted arms to Ernest Arthur Ebblewhite (1867–1947) and his heirs, with crests and mottos tied to the family line.