| ![Show Contents]() Tharpe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England Tharpe is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the area referred to as the thorp which is the Old English word for village, farmstead or hamlet. 1 The surname Tharpe is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area. In the Middle Ages people often assumed the name of the place that they originally lived as their surname during the course of travel. In this case the place-name Thorpe was found in various locations in England. Early Origins of the Tharpe familyThe surname Tharpe was first found in Yorkshire, Surrey, Essex, Lincolnshire, Durham and other locations throughout Britain. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists six locations in Britain all having the spelling Torp. 2 "The Thorps of Ryton, county Durham, as said to be descended from Robert Thorpe, of Thorpe, near Wellwyke, in Holderness, who flourished in the reign of King John. " 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1237 lists: Adam de la Throppe in Wiltshire; Augustinus de Thorpe in Suffolk; and Warin de Thorpe in Cambridgeshire. 4 The Pipe Rolls of Northumberland list William de Torp in 1158 and the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1287 list Robert be Thorp. The Subsidy Rolls of Cumberland (Cumbria) list Jak de Thorp in 1332. 5 Another branch of the family was found at Thorpe in Surrey in later years. "The manor appears to have been held under the abbots of Chertsey in the 15th century, by a family named Thorpe: after the Dissolution, Queen Elizabeth granted the lands to Sir John Wolley, her Latin secretary." 6 One of the first on record was Robert de Thorpe (fl. 1290), an English judge, who "appears to have been head of an ancient family residing at Thorpe Thewles, near Stockton, Durham, and to have descended from Geoffrey de Torp, who in 1166 held that estate of the bishopric of Durham as half a knight's fee." 7 John de Thorpe (d. 1324), Baron Thorpe, was an English judge, apparently son of Robert de Thorpe of North Creak and Ashwell-Thorpe, Norfolk. "By his wife Maud, [he] came of a family of wealth and importance in Norfolk and Suffolk. His son, Robert de Thorpe or Thorp (1294?-1330), Baron de Thorpe, was also a judge and was thirty years old at his father's death. " 7 Early History of the Tharpe familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tharpe research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1346, 1350, 1361, 1407, 1565, 1569, 1595, 1655 and 1665 are included under the topic Early Tharpe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Tharpe Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Tharpe family name include Thorp, Thorpe, Thropp, Thrupp and others. Early Notables of the Tharpe familyNotables of the family at this time include Sir William de Thorpe (died 1361), an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 26 November 1346 to 26 October 1350; John Thorpe (1565-1655), English architect; William Thorpe, putative author of "The Testimony of...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tharpe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Tharpe RankingIn the United States, the name Tharpe is the 6,375th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 8
 Tharpe migration to the United States | + |
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Tharpe surname or a spelling variation of the name include:
Tharpe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- William Tharpe, aged 28, who settled in America from Roytan, in 1898
Tharpe Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Patrick Tharpe, aged 23, who landed in America from Donegal, in 1901
- E.D. Tharpe, aged 48, who settled in New York, in 1906
- Wn. Fred Tharpe, aged 10, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
- Selnia Tharpe, aged 38, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
- Cester A. Tharpe, aged 22, who landed in America from Shanokin, Pennsylvania, in 1913
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Tharpe (post 1700) | + |
- Mercer McCall "Mack" Tharpe (1903-1945), American college football player and coach, bomber pilot, and insurance salesman, killed in action during the Second World War
- Larry Tharpe (b. 1970), American former football offensive tackle who played from 1992 to 2000
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973), born Rosetta Nubin, pioneering American Gospel singer and guitarist
- Robert Tharpe (b. 1962), American professional baseball player
- Jimmy G. Tharpe (1930-2008), American Baptist clergyman
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: Super antiquas vias
Motto Translation: Upon the ancient tracks.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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Tharpe migration to the United States 
