Erp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Erp family

The surname Erp 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 Erp family

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

Erp Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Erp has been spelled many different ways, including Earp, Irp, Yrp, Epp, Eppe, Erp, Eirpe, Yrpe, Epps and others.

Early Notables of the Erp family

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

Erp migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Erps to arrive in North America:

Erp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Erp, aged 28, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 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)