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Earp History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Earp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Earp family

The surname Earp was first found in Tideswell, Derbyshire where Richard le Yrope was listed in 1157, according to the Feudal History of the County of Derby. In Lincolnshire, Matthew Yrp held lands there according to the Curia Regis Rolls of 1200. Later, Henry Erpe was listed in Yorkshire in 1304 and John Irp was registered in Suffolk in 1332. 1

According to the The History of the Antient (Ancient) Abbeys, Monasteries, Hospitals, Cathedral and Collegiate Churches Willielmo de Erpe was recorded in 1252. The Northamptonshire Tax Assessment Rolls list John Yrp, of Gunthorp in 1301 and in Lancashire, John de Ypre, was Sheriff of Lancashire in 1361 and later, Johes de Ipre, was Member of Parliament in 1370.

The name is derived from the Old English word "ierpe," a byform of the Old English "earp," meaning "swarthy." 1 Erp, "Yrp appears as the name of a Welsh king by itself in Liber Llandavensis." 2

In Scotland, "the name was borrowed from the Picts by the Norsemen and gave name to the Icelandic family of Erplingi. Erp, son of Meldun, a Scots earl, was captured by the Norsemen, and as a freedman, went to colonize Iceland in the end of the ninth century." 2

Nicholas Porter Earp (1813-1907), father of the famed lawmen Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan Earp was born in Lincoln County, North Carolina and is believed to be descended from the first immigrant of the name, Thomas Earp who landed in Anne Arundel County on July 6, 1674 as an indentured servant from Ireland.

Early History of the Earp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Earp research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1561 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Earp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Earp Spelling Variations

Earp has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Earp, Irp, Yrp, Epp, Eppe, Erp, Eirpe, Yrpe, Epps and others.

Early Notables of the Earp family

Distinguished members of the family include

Earp of Lincolnshire

Earp Ranking

In the United States, the name Earp is the 8,305^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Earp migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Earps to arrive on North American shores:

Earp Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Earp, who landed in America in 1794 4
Robert Earp, who arrived in America in 1794 4

Earp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Earp, who landed in New York in 1836 4

Earp migration to Australia +

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

Earp Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Earp, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. William Earp, aged 30, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship "Bolton"
Mrs. Eliza Earp, aged 30, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship "Bolton"
Mr. William Earp, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Dudbrook" on 17th November 1852, arriving in Western Australia 6

Earp 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:

Earp Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Geo B Earp, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Coromandel
George B. Earp, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Coromandel" in 1840
William Earp, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842
Mr. Earp, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Traveller" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 22nd July 1859 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Earp (post 1700) +

Wyatt Berry Stamp Earp (1848-1929), American frontier law officer involved in the famous gunfight at the O. K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona (1881)
Morgan Seth Earp (1851-1882), American deputy lawman, brother to Virgil and Wyatt Earp, wounded at the O.K. Coral gunfight, assassinated on March 18, 1882 while he was playing billiards
Mildred "Millie" Earp (1925-1947), American former female pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1947 to 1950)
James Cooksey Earp (1841-1926), American saloon-keeper in the Old West, not present at the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Baxter Warren Earp (1855-1900), American lawman, the youngest son of the Earp family
Nicholas Porter Earp (1813-1907), American including patriarch and justice of the peace officer, father of James, Virgil, Wyatt, Morgan and Warren Earp
Jap B. Earp, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1940 8
Carroll M. Earp, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State Senate 5th District, 1976 8
Walter Thomas Clifford Earp (1879-1921), English pioneer racing motorist
Thomas Earp (1830-1910), English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1885
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dudbrook
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html