Show ContentsChamp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Champ reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Champ family lived in Campe or Campes, Normandy, where the family lived prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The derivation of this location is from the Old French word camp, which means field. [1]

Early Origins of the Champ family

The surname Champ was first found in Warwickshire but looking back further, we found "Aluric Camp or Campa was a Domesday [Book] tenant in the eastern counties." [2] [3]

Robert Campe was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Warwickshire in 1195 and later, Tomas le Campe was listed in he Pipe Rolls for Hampshire in 1200. Down in Dorset, John Campe (Kempe) was listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1205. [3]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Felicia in Campo in Cambridgeshire; and William de Campo in Oxfordshire. Johannes de Kempe was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. [4]

"Camp is a name that has been for six centuries characteristic of this part of England. It was represented in the adjoining counties of Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire in the 13th century. In the county of Herts, Camp is an old Saudon name (Cus.). John Camp was thrice Mayor of Hertford in the middle of last century. There are also Camps in Derbyshire. The Derbyshire Camps are now established in the Derby district." [5]

The Comper variant was first found in Somerset where Elyas Cumper was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1224. Later, Walter Compere, le Compeyre was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1332. [3] The name is from "Camper or Champer. Perhaps from Champier, near Grenoble." [1]

Early History of the Champ family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Champ research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1239, 1244 and 1296 are included under the topic Early Champ History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Champ Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Champ family name include Camp, Campe, Camper, Campor, Comper and others.

Early Notables of the Champ family

More information is included under the topic Early Champ Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Champ Ranking

In the United States, the name Champ is the 12,459th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [6] However, in France, the name Champ is ranked the 5,905th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. [7]


United States Champ migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Champ family to immigrate North America:

Champ Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Champ, who landed in Virginia in 1622 [8]
  • Robert Champ, who landed in Maryland in 1658 [8]
  • William Champ, who landed in Maryland in 1659 [8]
  • Stephen Champ, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 [8]
Champ Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Alexander Grand Champ, who arrived in New York in 1784 [8]
Champ Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J. Champ, who settled in San Francisco, California in 1852
  • Henry Champ, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1862 [8]
  • Allen Champ, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 [8]

Australia Champ migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Champ Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. David Champ, (b. 1808), aged 23, English farm labourer who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1892 [9]

New Zealand Champ migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Champ Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Champ, aged 34, a painter, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
  • Elizabeth Champ, aged 35, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
  • Charles Champ, aged 7, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
  • Frederic Champ, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "La Hogue" in 1874

West Indies Champ migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [10]
Champ Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Alice Champ, aged 20, who landed in Barbados in 1635 [8]

Contemporary Notables of the name Champ (post 1700) +

  • Leanne Kelly Champ (b. 1983), English football player and coach, who last played for North Jersey Valkyries of the North American W-League
  • Cameron Mackray Champ (b. 1995), American professional golfer from Sacramento, California
  • Malcolm G. Champ, American politician, Mayor of Princeton, West Virginia, 1967 [11]
  • F. P. Champ, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Utah, 1928 [11]
  • William Thomas Napier Champ (1808-1892), English-born, Australian soldier and politician, 1st Premier of Tasmania from 1856 to 1857
  • Ricky Champ (b. 1980), English actor, known for his roles as Paul Parker in the BBC Three sitcom Him & Her, and Stuart Highway in the BBC soap opera EastEnders
  • Patrick Champ (b. 1954), French former footballer and manager
  • Éric Champ (b. 1962), French former rugby union player
  • Henry Champ (1937-2012), Canadian broadcast journalist, working for the CTV News, NBC News, and CBC
  • Champ C. Stonebraker, American Republican politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Missouri, 1964 [12]


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  8. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  12. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook