This very unusual name has its origins in the Isle of Man, where the surnames Cubbin, Cubin and Cubbon are contractions of the Gaelic Scottish name "MacCubbin(g)", meaning "son of Cubbin", itself a mutation of Gibbon, a diminutive of the personal name "Gilbert". In Scotland the MacCubbin family gave its name to M'Cubbinstone in Dumfriesshire, where the name has been found for centuries. There are many recordings of the names Cubin and Cubbin in the parish registers of the Isle of Man, although interestingly the spelling Cubbin only appears there after the 17th Century. Recordings from the Isle of Man Church Registers include: the christening of Thomas, son of John Cubbin and Catherine Caveen, on February 14th 1666, at Arbory; the christening of Christiana, daughter of Thomas and Jonye Cubbin, on December 10th 1727, at St. Mathew's, Douglas; and the christening of Ann, daughter of Robert Cubbin and Ann Quayle, on January 3rd 1792, at Arbory. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Martin M'Cubyn, which was dated 1376, in the "Register of the Charters of the Earldom of Morton", Scotland, during the reign of King Robert 11 of Scotland, 1371 - 1390. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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