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Code History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Code History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales
Ireland

The illustrious surname Code finds its origin in the rocky, sea swept coastal area of southwestern England known as Cornwall. Although surnames were fairly widespread in medieval England, people were originally known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted is extremely interesting. As populations grew, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Under the Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Lords and their tenants often became known by the name of the feudal territory they owned or lived on. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. This was due to the heavy political and cultural influence of the English upon the Cornish People at the time that surnames first came into use. Local surnames were derived from where a person lived, held land, or was born. While many Cornish surnames of this sort appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames derived from lost or unrecorded place names. The name Code is a local type of surname and the Code family lived in the village of Coad in Cornwall.

Early Origins of the Code family

The surname Code was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat from very ancient times. This ancient Cornish name settled in early times in Gidley Castle in Cornwall, a grant from the early Celtic Kings. The family name also had branches in St. Austel and Morval. The Castle, which is a square fort with three towers, is used by the family name as a Crest on their Coat of Arms.

Further to the north in Yorkshire, Geoffrey Codi was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1210; Stephen Cody in the Subsidy Rolls for 1297; and Roger Cody in the Assize Rolls for 1364. 1

Early History of the Code family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Code research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1275 is included under the topic Early Code History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Code Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Coady, Cody, Coadie, Code, Codde and others.

Early Notables of the Code family

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

Migration of the Code family to Ireland

Some of the Code family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Code migration to the United States +

An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Code:

Code Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Walter Code, with his wife and family, settled in Virginia in 1648

Code Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Code was an early settler in New Hampshire
Patrick Code, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1852 2

Code migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Code Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Nicholas Code, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1810

Code migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Code Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Stephen Code, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cressy" in 1847 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Code (post 1700) +

Major-General James Arthur Jr. Code (1893-1971), American Chief Signal Officer US Army (1945) 4
John P. Code, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1908 5

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CRESSY 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Cressy.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) James Code. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Code/James_Arthur_Jr./USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html