Culpepper History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Culpepper surname lie with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name Culpepper began when someone in that family worked as a spicer. The name is derived from two Old English elements, cul and pepper. It meant "pepper gatherer." 1 As spices were rare and expensive in the medieval period, this would have been a valued occupation.

Early Origins of the Culpepper family

The surname Culpepper was first found in Kent where the family descend from Culpepers of Bay Hall, Pembury, Kent. It is generally thought that the first record of the family was John de Colepepper (c. 1140) from Bay Hall, Pepenbury. His son, Sir Thomas de Colpepper (1170-c.1200) was Recognitor of the Grand Assize in Sussex. He died in Sussex at the age of 30. Bay Hall Manor was held by the family until 1480 when it was sold Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham.

In West Peckham, Kent, a Commandery of Knights Hospitallers was founded in 1408, by John Colepepper, one of the judges of the Common Pleas. 2

Early History of the Culpepper family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Culpepper research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1321, 1588, 1600, 1601, 1616, 1632, 1635, 1644, 1651, 1654, 1656, 1660, 1663, 1668, 1670, 1677, 1683, 1689, 1700, 1723, 1725 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Culpepper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Culpepper Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Culpepper has appeared include Colepeper, Colpepper, Culpeper, Culpepper, Colepepper, Colpeper, Collpeper and many more.

Early Notables of the Culpepper family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Geoffrey Colepeper High Sheriff of Kent; Sir William Culpeper, (1588-1651) 1st Baronet of Culpeper of Preston Hall, Kent; Sir Richard Culpeper, 2nd Baronet of Preston Hall (d 1660); Sir Cheney Culpeper (1601-1663), an English landowner; John Colepeper of Bedgebery (ca.1600-1660), 1st Baron Culpeper of Thoresway, an English politician; Nicholas Culpeper (1616-1654), an English botanist, herbalist...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Culpepper Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Culpepper Ranking

In the United States, the name Culpepper is the 2,580^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3

Culpepper migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Culpepper arrived in North America very early:

Culpepper Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Culpepper, who settled in New England in 1634
Elizabeth Culpepper, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 4
John Culpepper, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 4
Robert Culpepper, who landed in Virginia in 1664 4
Dennis Culpepper, who landed in Virginia in 1664 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Culpepper Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Margaret Culpepper, who settled in Virginia in 1751

Contemporary Notables of the name Culpepper (post 1700) +

N. F. Culpepper, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1928 5
Miniard Culpepper, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Credentials Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 5
John Culpepper (1761-1841), American politician, Representative from North Carolina, 1807-08, 1808-09, 1813-17, 1819-21, 1823-25, 1827-29 5
C. C. Culpepper Sr., American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Virginia, 1956 5
William Albright Culpepper (1916-2015), American jurist, Judge on the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal for 22 years
Bobby Loyce Culpepper (1941-2015), American lawyer and politician, the longest serving member of the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee (1968-2015)
John Broward Culpepper (1907-1990), American educator in Florida, appointed a Great Floridan in 2000
Pat Culpepper, retired American college football player and coach
Allen Ross Culpepper (1944-1969), United States Army captain in the Vietnam War cited for "extraordinary heroism", recipient of the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Distinguished Service Cross
Randy Lechard Culpepper (b. 1989), American basketball player
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html