Arpe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Arpe family

The surname Arpe was first found in Tideswell, Derbyshire where Richard le Yrope was listed in 1157, according to the Feudal History of the County of Derby. In Lincolnshire, Matthew Yrp held lands there according to the Curia Regis Rolls of 1200. Later, Henry Erpe was listed in Yorkshire in 1304 and John Irp was registered in Suffolk in 1332. 1

According to the The History of the Antient (Ancient) Abbeys, Monasteries, Hospitals, Cathedral and Collegiate Churches Willielmo de Erpe was recorded in 1252. The Northamptonshire Tax Assessment Rolls list John Yrp, of Gunthorp in 1301 and in Lancashire, John de Ypre, was Sheriff of Lancashire in 1361 and later, Johes de Ipre, was Member of Parliament in 1370.

The name is derived from the Old English word "ierpe," a byform of the Old English "earp," meaning "swarthy." 1 Erp, "Yrp appears as the name of a Welsh king by itself in Liber Llandavensis." 2

In Scotland, "the name was borrowed from the Picts by the Norsemen and gave name to the Icelandic family of Erplingi. Erp, son of Meldun, a Scots earl, was captured by the Norsemen, and as a freedman, went to colonize Iceland in the end of the ninth century." 2

Nicholas Porter Earp (1813-1907), father of the famed lawmen Virgil, Wyatt, and Morgan Earp was born in Lincoln County, North Carolina and is believed to be descended from the first immigrant of the name, Thomas Earp who landed in Anne Arundel County on July 6, 1674 as an indentured servant from Ireland.

Early History of the Arpe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arpe research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1561 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Arpe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arpe Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Arpe include Earp, Irp, Yrp, Epp, Eppe, Erp, Eirpe, Yrpe, Epps and others.

Early Notables of the Arpe family

More information is included under the topic Early Arpe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arpe migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Arpe or a variant listed above:

Arpe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Peter Arpe, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 3

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)