Asch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

Asch is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Asch family lived in close proximity to an ash tree. As such, the name has local references to towns called Ash in Derbyshire, Surrey, Hampshire, and many other places.

Early Origins of the Asch family

The surname Asch was first found in the county of Devon in southern England. The first person to settle in the locality was D'Esse Court, a companion of King William, Duke of Normandy who landed in England in 1066 A.D. and was granted lands by his liege lord in the vicinity of Exeter, Devon.

Alternatively the family could have originated in Esh or Ash, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Lanchester in Durham. "The manor gave name, at a very early period, to a family of considerable local consequence, who held the estate, with little interruption, from the middle of the 13th century till the time of Henry VIII." 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: John de le Es, in Norfolk; Roger de le Es, also in Norfolk; Agnes Ate Nasse in Oxfordshire; and Henry de Asse in Warwickshire. 2

The reference "History of Norfolk" list Joan atte-Eshe in 1345, Roger atte-Ashe, temp. Edward II and John at-Ash, of Bintre, Norfolk in 1349. 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had only one listing of the family, Robertus del Asch. 2

Another source notes: "There are places so called in Derbyshire, Surrey, Hampshire, and elsewhere. It seems probable, however, that the name was sometimes adopted from residence near a remarkable ash tree. We find the Atten-Ashe of the XIV. cent. contracted into Nashe soon after." 4

Early History of the Asch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Asch research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1326, 1597, 1605, 1609, 1618, 1636, 1640, 1644, 1646, 1651, 1652, 1656, 1658, 1660, 1670, 1671, 1681, 1686, 1695, 1697, 1717, 1718, 1735, 1759, 1782 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Asch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Asch Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Esse, Ash, Ashe, Aschey and others.

Early Notables of the Asch family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Ashe (1597-1658), an English clothier and politician for Westbury and later for Somerset at various times between 1640 and 1656, upon his death he left a landed estate valued at £6000 a year; Edward Ashe (ca.1609-1656), brother of...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Asch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Asch family to Ireland

Some of the Asch family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 132 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Asch migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Asch name or one of its variants:

Asch Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Isaac M. Asch, who settled in Philadelphia in 1836
Mannes M. Asch, who settled in Philadelphia in 1844
Frans Van Asch, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 5
Truitje Van Asch, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 5
William Van Asch, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Asch (post 1700) +

Peter Asch (b. 1948), American water polo player
Nathan Asch (1902-1964), American writer
Sidney H. Asch (b. 1919), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Bronx County 2nd District, 1953-61; resigned 1961; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1960 6
J. W. Asch, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Hawaii Territory, 1924 6
Solomon Asch (1907-1996), US psychologist
Roland Asch (b. 1950), German race car driver
Moe Asch (1905-1986), founder of Folkways Records, son of Sholem Asch
Sholem Asch (1880-1957), Jewish writer

The Asch 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: Non nobis sed omnibus
Motto Translation: Not for us but for all.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 5) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html