Quest History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Quest family

The surname Quest was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 14th century when Minquinus Quest held estates in that shire in 1323.

Early History of the Quest family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quest research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1351, 1379, 1455, 1476, 1487, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Quest History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quest Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Quest have been found, including Quest, Quested, Questred, Quester, de Quester and many more.

Early Notables of the Quest family

the Quester family of London

Migration of the Quest family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Quest, or a variant listed above: Augustine Quester, who arrived in Allegheny Co., PA in 1833.

Contemporary Notables of the name Quest (post 1700) +

Frederick Quest, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Jeffersontown, Kentucky, 1865-66 1
A. E. Quest, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1952 2
Richard Austin Quest (b. 1962), English journalist and a CNN anchor and reporter, based in New York City, New York

Sources +

The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html