Alp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

On the Scottish west coast, the Alp family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the son of the blond one, or son of Alpin.

Early Origins of the Alp family

The surname Alp was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they were descended from King Kenneth MacAlpin who was murdered by the Picts near Dundee in the year 834. MacAlpin is generally considered to have been the first king to rule both Scots and Picts, and as such, was the first king of Scotland.

Further to the south, the variant Alby hailed from Alby, a parish, in the union of Aylsham, hundred of South Erpingham, E. division of Norfolk. "This place, which was anciently called Oslby, is intersected by the road from Aylsham to Cromer, and includes the hamlets of Alby Common and Alby Hill." 1

Early History of the Alp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alp research. Another 193 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1395, 1405, 1531, 1557, 1658, 1692 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Alp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alp Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages, the translation between Gaelic and English was not a highly developed process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and so, an enormous number of spelling variations appear in records of early Scottish names. Alp has appeared as MacAlpine, MacAlpin, MacAilpein (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the Alp family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Sir John MacAlpin
John MacAlpine (Latin: Maccabeus) (died 1557), a Scottish Protestant theologian

Migration of the Alp family to Ireland

Some of the Alp family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alp migration to the United States +

These settlers arrived in North America at a time when the east was burgeoning with prosperous colonies and the expanses of the west were just being opened up. The American War of Independence was also imminent. Some Scots stayed to fight for a new country, while others who remained loyal went north as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of them went on to rediscover their heritage in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic Scottish events. The Alp were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Alp Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Bernhart Alp, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 2

Alp migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Alp Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Alp, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 3

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html