This very unusual name has its origins in the Isle of Man, where the surnames Cubbin and Cubin 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. Katherine Cubin was christened on the 1st of January 1660, in Arbory, Isle of Man. 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. during the reign of 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.