Show ContentsJessup History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Jessup is one of the names carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is based on the ancient personal name Joseph. The surname Jessop was a baptismal name which meant Joseph. [1]

Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.

Early Origins of the Jessup family

The surname Jessup was first found in Sussex where William Josep was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1296. [2]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included an entry for Richard filius Josep in Cambridgeshire at that time and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus Josop and Johannes Jesop as holding lands there. [3]

Early History of the Jessup family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jessup research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1612, 1624, 1631, 1632, 1643, 1648, 1658, 1663 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Jessup History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jessup Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Jessup have been found, including Jessop, Jessope, Jesop, Jesope, Jessopp, Jessup and many more.

Early Notables of the Jessup family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Constantine Jessop (1602?-1658), an English Presbyterian minister, son of John Jessop, minister at Pembroke, was born about 1602. In 1624, at the age of twenty-two, he was entered as a student at Jesus College, Oxford. "Thence he went to Trinity College, Dublin, and there graduated B.A. He was incorporated B.A. at Oxford on 30 June 1631, and graduated M.A. on 8 May 1632. On 11 May...
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jessup Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jessup Ranking

In the United States, the name Jessup is the 3,971st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [4]

Ireland Migration of the Jessup family to Ireland

Some of the Jessup family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Jessup migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Jessup were among those contributors:

Jessup Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Walter Jessup, who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1635
  • Edward Jessup of Yorkshire settled in Fairfield, Conn. in 1639
  • William Jessup, who arrived in Virginia in 1695 [5]
Jessup Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • G Jessup, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 [5]
  • J Jessup, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 [5]
  • R M Jessup, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [5]
  • C S Jessup, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [5]
  • E C Jessup, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [5]

Canada Jessup migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Jessup Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Henry Jessup U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 [6]
  • Mr. Joseph Jessup U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 [6]
  • Esq. Edward Jessup U.E. who settled in Augusta, Ontario c. 1784 [6]

Australia Jessup migration to Australia +

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

Jessup Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William Nash Jessup, who arrived in Port Misery aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland" in 1839 [7]
  • Mr. Charles Jessup, British Convict who was convicted in Beccles, East Suffolk, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Dudbrook" on 17th November 1852, arriving in Western Australia [8]

New Zealand Jessup 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:

Jessup Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Jessup, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 [9]
  • Sarah Jessup, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 [9]

Contemporary Notables of the name Jessup (post 1700) +

  • Henry Harris Jessup (1832-1910), American Presbyterian missionary, author, and a founder of the American University of Beirut
  • Ted Jessup (b. 1960), American television writer, producer, and performer, current writer for the Fox sitcom Family Guy
  • Richard Jessup (1925-1982), American author and screenwriter who sometimes wrote under the name Richard Telfair
  • Morris Ketchum Jessup (1900-1959), American researcher who uncovered "Philadelphia Experiment"
  • Philip Caryl Jessup (1897-1986), American diplomat, scholar, and jurist from New York City
  • Marion Jessup (b. 1897), American female tennis player
  • Richard M. Jessup, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 5th District, 1857-58 [10]
  • Philip Caryl Jessup (1897-1986), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to, 1949-53; Judge, International Court of Justice, Geneva, 1961-70 [10]
  • Nelson Ritch Jessup, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Stamford, Connecticut, 1908-13 [10]
  • John Jessup, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Tompkins County 1st District, 1848 [10]
  • ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Jessup +

  • John Kendig Barr by Mary Alice Burchfield.
  • The Sixtieth Wedding Anniversary of Frank Pierson Jessup and Marie Barr Jessup by Mary Alice Burchfield.

  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) THE DUCHESS OF NORTHUMBERLAND - 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839DuchessOfNorthumberland.htm
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dudbrook
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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