Drape History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Drape is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a maker or seller of woolen cloth. The surname Drape is derived from the Old French word drapier and the Anglo-French word draper, which both have this meaning. The word was recorded in Old English as early as 1376.

Early Origins of the Drape family

The surname Drape was first found in Lancashire where one of the first records of the family was Robert le Draper who was listed in the Pipe Rolls (1181-1182.) 1 Later the Subsidy Rolls, Henry le Draper was listed as holding estates in 1332 in the same county. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists Roger le Draper in Wiltshire and Auwred le Draper in Cambridgeshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Johannes Drapour as a drapour at that time. 2

Early History of the Drape family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drape research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1567, 1646, 1678, 1689, 1694 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Drape History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drape Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Drape include Draper, Drapere, Draiper, Draeper, Drapar, Drapir, Drayper, Dreypar, Drapper, Drapier, Drabber, Drapber, Drabper, Drappar and many more.

Early Notables of the Drape family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

General Sir William Draper, Knight of the Bath

Migration of the Drape family to Ireland

Some of the Drape family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drape migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Drape were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Drape Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Drape, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 3
Alice Drape, who landed in Maryland in 1670-1671 3

The Drape 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: Vincit pepercit
Motto Translation: He conquered, he spared

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)