Contents [hide]

Pierpont History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Pierpont History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Pierpont is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Pierpont family lived in Norfolk, Sussex and Suffolk. Their name, however, is a reference to Pierrepont, near St. Sauveur in the Cotentin, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 1

Early Origins of the Pierpont family

The surname Pierpont was first found in Norfolk, where Reinaldus de Perapund was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. 2 Later, Richard de Pierrpunt was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Dorset in 1178 and Roger Perpunt was found in Nottinghamshire in 1240. 3

"Godfrey and Robert de Petroponte, [were] undertenants of William de Warenne in Suffolk and Sussex in 1086, [and] came from Pierrepont (Seine-Inférieure)." 3

The family originated in Pierrepont near St. Sauveur in the Cotentin in Normandy. Another source has a different spelling for this entry "Reginald, Geoffrey and Robert Pierpont accompanied William [the Conqueror] into England and were granted lands in Suffolk and 9,000 acres in Sussex under the Earl Warren." 4

The family it seemed had extensive property and holdings from an early date as seen by this account: "Robert de Pierrepoint was a person of such extensive property that being made a prisoner fighting on the side of King Henry III at the Battle of Lewes [1264], he was forced to give security for the payment of then great sum of seven hundred marks for his ransom." 5

In England, the mark never appeared as a coin but was a unit of account and was worth about 160 pence shortly after the Conquest. Based on a value of two-thirds of a pound, and converting to the price of silver, the ransom was about 267 dollars x 700 = Pierpont186,900 USD in today's value.

Early History of the Pierpont family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pierpont research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1452, 1546, 1607, 1615, 1627, 1638, 1640, 1645, 1649, 1652, 1655, 1659, 1660, 1662, 1678, 1680, 1681, 1685, 1690, 1698, 1705, 1714, 1715, 1726 and 1773 are included under the topic Early Pierpont History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pierpont Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Pierrponte, Pierrepont, Pierrpont, Pierrponte, Pierreponte, Pierpont, Pierponte, Pierrpoint, Pierrpointe, Pierpoint, Pierpointe, Pearpont, Pearpoint, Pearpointe, Perpoint, Perpointe and many more.

Early Notables of the Pierpont family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

James Pierpont (1659-1714), a Congregationalist minister who is credited with the founding of Yale University in the United States

Pierpont migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Pierpont name or one of its variants:

Pierpont Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Pierpont, who settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1648
John Pierpont, who landed in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1652 6
Robert Pierpont, who arrived in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1675 6

Pierpont Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hiacinthe Pierpont, who settled in Louisiana in 1720

Pierpont Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Pierpont, aged 51, who landed in New York in 1812 6

Pierpont migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pierpont Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

James Pierpont, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Contemporary Notables of the name Pierpont (post 1700) +

Frank Hinman Pierpont (1860-1937), American engineer and typeface designer, co-developer of the Times New Roman font and for his work with Monotype Corporation of Britain
James Lord Pierpont (1822-1893), American songwriter, arranger, organist, and composer, best known for writing and composing "Jingle Bells"
James P. Pierpont (1866-1938), American mathematician
Francis Harrison Pierpont (1814-1899), American Union leader in Virginia during the American Civil War
John Pierpont (1785-1866), American poet
Ross Zimmerman Pierpont (1917-2005), American politician, Representative from Maryland, 1970, 1984, 1986, 1988; Republican Candidate for Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, 1971 7
Robert Pierpont (b. 1828), American politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 15th District, 1867 7
Giles Pierpont Jr., American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from North Haven, 1826 7
Ebenezer Pierpont, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from North Haven, 1827-28 7
David A. Pierpont, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York, 1874, 1878, 1882, 1884 7
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Pierpont Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Pie Repone Te
Motto Translation: In pious confidence.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html