Hepburn (surname)

Hepburn is a Scottish family name that is also associated with a variety of famous personages, eponyms, places, and things. Although a Scottish name its origins are widely suspected to lie south of the border in the north of England. Specifically, the name is thought to have derived from either the town of Hebron or Hebburn, both of which are in the Northumberland area of England. The origins of the name are suggested to be the same as that of Hebborne from the Anglo-Saxon words "heah", meaning high and "byrgen", meaning burial place.Alternatively it could mean something along the lines of "high place beside the water", as the word "burn" is a still widely used Scots word to mean river.

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.

cottish nobles

* Patrick Hepburn, 1st Lord of Hailes (died 1483)
* Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes (died 1479), son of Patrick, 1st Lord of Hailes
* John Hepburn (died after 1525), son of Patrick, 1st Lord of Hailes
* Patrick Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell (died 1508), son of Adam, Master of Hailes
* Adam Hepburn of Craggis (died 1513), son of Adam, Master of Hailes
* George Hepburn (died 1513), son of Adam, Master of Hailes
* Adam Hepburn, 2nd Earl of Bothwell (died 1513), son of Patrick, 1st Earl of Bothwell
* Patrick Hepburn, 3rd Earl of Bothwell (1512 – 1556), son of Adam, 2nd Earl of Bothwell
* James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell (c. 1534 – 1578), son of Patrick, 3rd Earl of Bothwell, husband of Queen Mary I of Scotland
* Francis Stewart Hepburn, 1st Earl of Bothwell (before 1563 – 1612), nephew of James, 4th Earl of Bothwell
* James John Hepburn 1st Earl of Cardonald (before 1570 - 1620), distant relative of Benzie, prince of the Bundy

Politics

* Alonzo Barton Hepburn (1846 – 1922), American banker and politician
* Bernard Rickart Hepburn (1876 – 1939), member of the Canadian House of Commons
* James de Congalton Hepburn (fl. 1940s), Speaker of the Ontario (Canada) Legislature
* Jamie Hepburn (born 1979), member of the Scottish Parliament
* Mitchell Hepburn (1896 – 1953), Premier of Ontario, Canada
* Patrick Buchan-Hepburn (1901 – 1974), Scottish politician
* Stephen Hepburn (born 1959), English Member of Parliament
* William Peters Hepburn (1833 – 1916), American congressman for Iowa, author of the Hepburn Act of 1906

Academia

* Alexa Hepburn, social psychologist
* Andrew Dousa Hepburn (1830 – 1921), president of Miami University and Davidson College
* Charles A. Hepburn (born 1891 – 1971), Scottish businessman and philanthropist
* 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), British actress
* Barton Hepburn (1906 – 1955), American actor
* Cassandra Hepburn (born 1977), American actress
* Dee Hepburn (born 1961), Scottish actress

ports

* Craig Hepburn (born 1969), Bahamian long-jumper
* Doug Hepburn (1926 – 2000), Canadian weightlifter
* Ralph Hepburn (1896 – 1948), American motorcycle and racecar driver

Literature

* Robert Hepburn, writer of the "Edinburgh Tatler" and a member of the Faculty of Advocates
* Mary Hepburn, a character of Kurt Vonnegut's novel Galápagos (novel)

Military

* Allan Hepburn (1896 - 1975), Australian World War I flying ace
* Arthur Japy Hepburn (1877 – 1964), US navy admiral
* Sir John Hepburn (c. 1598 – 1636), Scottish soldier, fought for Sweden and France

Trade Unions

* Thomas Hepburn (c. 1795 – 1864), English miner and union founder

External links

* [http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/families/hepburns.htm The Hepburn Family]
* [http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/htol/hepburn2.html Clan Hepburn]