| ![Show Contents]() Happs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The name Happs is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived near one or more notable aspen trees. The surname Happs is derived from the Old English word æpse, which means aspen. The surname may also be a nickname in jest, for a timid person, referring to the trembling leaves of the tree. 1 However, one source notes that name may be "a genitive form of Ape or Appe; a personal name, ante [(before)]1066 [and in the] Domesday Book. " 2 Early Origins of the Happs familyThe surname Happs was first found in Huntingdonshire where the singular name Eppe was recorded c. 1250. A few years later, Roger Eppe was listed in Norfolk according to the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275. The name could have originated at Epps Farm in Bentley, Warwickshire. 3 Early History of the Happs familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Happs research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1307, 1327, 1524, 1534, 1604, 1628, 1658, 1779, 1787, 1805, 1815, 1823, 1833, 1845, 1869 and 1874 are included under the topic Early Happs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Happs 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 Happs family name include Apps, Apse, Abbs, Abb, App, Apsey, Epps, Ebbs, Epsey, Epp and many more. Early Notables of the Happs familyMore information is included under the topic Early Happs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Happs familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, 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 Happs surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Francis Eppes, who was on record in Virginia in 1625 with his three sons; Edward Abbs, who settled in Virginia in 1635; Edmond Apps who settled in Virginia in 1650.
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: In Te Domine Speravi
Motto Translation: In thee, O Lord, I have placed my hope.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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