Wikipedia

Hepburn (surname)

For other uses, see Hepburn (disambiguation).
Hepburn
Pronunciation/ˈhɛpˌbɜːrn/
Language(s)English
Origin
Derivationfrom a placename in Northumberland
Meaning"high place beside the water"

Hepburn is a family name of the Anglo-Scottish border, that is associated with a variety of famous personages, eponyms, places, and things. Although commonly a Scottish name, its origins lie to the south of the border in the north of England. Specifically, the name is thought to have derived from either the town of Hebron in Northumberland or Hebburn in Tyne and Wear. The origins of the name are suggested to be the same as that of Hebborne from the Old English words heah ("high") and byrgen ("burial mound"). Alternatively it could mean something along the lines of "high place beside the water", as the word burn is a still widely used in Northumbrian and Scots for stream.

Next to Chillingham Castle there remains a bastle tower where the family originated. This was the seat of a line of the family until the eighteenth century when that branch died out, having left only a female heir. However, it is as the Earls of Bothwell that the Hepburn family are perhaps best remembered. This branch of the family originated in Lothian when a Hepburn was granted land having saved the Earl of March from a horse that had lost control. This family first became the Lords of Hailes before being granted the Earldom of Bothwell.

There were also Hepburns of Waughton, thought by some to have branched off from the Hailes line, thought by others to predate it. Another line was the Hepburns of Beanston, and yet another was the Hepburns of Athelstaneford. All of these families were prominent in various ways at various junctures of Scottish history, but all were primarily located around the East Lothian area.

Scottish nobles

Politics

Academia

  • Alexa Hepburn, English social psychologists
  • Andrew Dousa Hepburn (1830–1921), president of Miami University and Davidson College
  • Charles A. Hepburn (born 1891–1971), Scottish businessman and philanthropist
  • Ian Hepburn (1902–74), British schoolmaster, botanist, ecologist and author
  • James Hepburn (1811–1869), British ornithologist
  • James Bonaventure Hepburn (1573–1620), Scottish Catholic scholar
  • James Curtis Hepburn (1815–1911), American linguist, devised a romanization system for Japanese

Arts and entertainment

  • Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003), American actress
  • Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993), Belgian-born British actress
  • Barton Hepburn (1906–1955), American actor
  • Dee Hepburn (born 1961), Scottish actress
  • Drew Hepburn (born 1985), American entertainer and entrepreneur
  • Alex Hepburn (born 1986), British singer

Sports

  • Craig Hepburn (born 1969), Bahamian long-jumper
  • Doug Hepburn (1926–2000), Canadian weightlifter
  • James Hepburn (born 1876), Scottish-American professional golfer
  • Michael Hepburn (born 1991), Australian track and road cyclist
  • Ralph Hepburn (1896–1948), American motorcycle and racecar driver
  • Ross Hepburn (born 1972), Scottish curler

Military

Trade Unions

External links

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