The name stems from the small village of Montbray in Normandy. This lies about 10 km. north-east of the town of Villedieu-les-Poeles, which itself is 22 km north-east of Avranches on the bay of Mont Saint Michel. From this village came Geoffrey de Montbray who came to be Bishop of Coutances and accompanied Duke William of Normandy at the Conquest of England in 1066.

For his support he was granted some 280 English manors (each about the size of a village). His nephew Robert de Montbray became Earl of Northumberland in 1080, but he rebelled against William II (Rufus) and was captured and imprisoned in Windsor for thirty years. His divorced wife, Matilda, married Nigel d'Aubigny (sometimes spelt d'Albini) whose family came from Saint Martin d'Aubigny, 16 km. west of St-Lo and 15 km. north of Coutances. However, Robert was the maternal uncle of Nigel and although Nigel inherited Robert's vast landholdings, the marriage was anulled for co-sanguinity before any issue. By his second wife, Gundred, he had a son and heir Roger whose name was changed by royal command from d'Aubigny to de Montbray. The family flourished (Baronial Pedigree) and the name spelling evolved to Mowbray.

The baronial line died out in England with a young heiress ca. 1475, although a son of an earlier generation had founded a dynasty in Scotland where issue has survived. The family was active up and down the east side of the country and settled predominantly in the counties of Durham, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire in historic times. Since then there has been the usual migration into other areas and overseas.

As with any name, there are numerous spelling variations over time, but the major ones are MOUBRAY which is the Scottish version and MOWBERRY which stemmed from a Leicestershire migration into Glinton, Northamptonshire where the variant became established and eventually spread into a Lincolnshire branch.

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