Comments on: Where does the name ‘Starbuck’ come from?

By: Jennifer Starbuck

Jennifer Starbuck — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:05:26 +0000

I have a family book called the Starbuck All. It traces Starbuck Family member in the US from 1631 up to 1984. I have been able to trace my family line back to the first starbucks’ in Nantucket/US what I would like to find is my UK side of the family.

By: Joseph Starbuck

Joseph Starbuck — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:58:20 +0000

Hi again John,
During my research into our family I found a number of instances in the Northfleet (Kent) parish registers where several of our ancestors (we both being of the same ancestry) surname was consistently listed as ‘Starburg’ over a number of years.
Curiously there is a place named Starburg in either Denmark or Sweden, I cannot recall which for the moment.
I discussed this with your father Brian and although we never concluded anything certain, there remains a possibility our Scandanvaian ancestors may have Anglicised their surname at some point. This might also go some way to explaining why our DNA differs from the other UK and USA/Nantucket Starbucks who share a quite different DNA haplogroup.

By: Chris Starbuck

Chris Starbuck — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:21:23 +0000

Makes sense, all these boat connections with the name Starbuck, if we’re originally descended from Norsemen. As well as raping and pillaging, the vikings must have had some skills they brought over too!

By: Jon

Jon — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:19:43 +0000

The problem with our name “Starbuck” coming from the place name “Starbeck” is that our name is much older than the place name.
Lots of Starbucks in the USA (not that I have met any yet) especially around Nantucket and associated with whaling.
Starbuck Island is an uninhabited tiny island in the Pacific, it was mined for guano . IT has had several other names; Volunteer Island, Barren Island, Coral Queen Island, “Hero Island, Low Island and Starve Island. First sighted in 1823 by Valentine Starbuck.
My Dad, Brian Starb uck, proved through DNA testing that our side of the family are not related to the Nantucket Starbucks.

By: Starbuck (Stephen)

Starbuck (Stephen) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:24:47 +0000

I am a Starbuck who actually lives in Harrogate in North Yorkshire – a mere
stone’s throw away from the (assumed) ancestral homeland of Starbeck and, whereas I admire your cynicism over the origins of our surname,
it all seems perfectly credible and is not especially fanciful or ego-inflating. You had to be called something and, if you weren’t nobility, it was usually what you did or where you came from ! “Stor” (steer) “bok” (beck). There was, historically, a
considerable Viking presence in this part of Yorkshire for hundreds of years.
For what (little) it’s worth I believe that the Starbucks did indeed establish
an early foothold in America (big deal!) ; were almost certainly Quakers and eventually involved themselves in that country’s whaling industry ( ref. Starbuck Island etc.)
My own guess is that part of the family (the thick side?) stayed in England and
eventually drifted from Yorkshire down into Nottinghamshire and the Vale of Belvoir where they became a family of little or no particular consequence*
When the whaling industry began to decline in America many Starbucks returned ‘home’ to Wales (God forbid!) where they set up shop (ships’ chandlers ?!?) in the port of Milford Haven where many are buried in the grounds of the Quaker’s Meeting House. Hope all this helps.

*Traced my lot back to 1749 and a Sarah Starbuck – married to a humble groom if I recall correctly.

By: Peter Starbuck

Peter Starbuck — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:37:22 +0000

Hi,
I believe I am related to you somewhere along the line,
My Grandad was Joseph Starbuck with brothers Harry and charlie Harry being the bare knuckle fighter. My dads name is Peter brother Joe and sister Janet. We lived in Bromley and st marys cray around the late 80′s Just thought i would say Hi as I too pondered this question growing up lol.