Espy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland/England
Spain

The distinguished surname Espy is derived from the place named "Esply," in county Northumberland. The place name in turn is derived from the Old English "aespe," meaning "aspen," and "leah," meaning "wood" or "clearing." Thus, the surname indicates "one from Esply" or "one dwelling by the aspen wood."

Early Origins of the Espy family

The surname Espy was first found in Northern England, where the village of Esply was once located. It was a common practice during medieval times to refer to a new resident of a city by the name of his hometown; thus, it is likely that the progenitor of the name Espy was a native of Esply who had settled in another city.

Early History of the Espy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Espy research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1541, 1564, 1678, 1785, 1838 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Espy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Espy Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Espley, Esply, Espey, Espy, Esplin and others.

Early Notables of the Espy family

Notable amongst bearers of this family name during their early history was

Samuel Espy (d. 1838), who served the Continental Army as a militia officer during the American Revolution, and James Espy (1785-1860), a well-known American meteorologist who was the first to correct...

Espy Ranking

In the United States, the name Espy is the 16,553^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Espy migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Espy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sarah Espy, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1811 2
William Espy, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 2
George espy, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 2
Jane Espy, aged 20, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1834 2
David Espy, who landed in Mississippi in 1835 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Espy (post 1700) +

Wallace S. Espy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1940 3
Ridgeway B. Espy Jr., American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1972 3
M. W. Espy Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1956 3
James Espy, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Shanghai, 1938; Suez, 1943; U.S. Consul in Asuncion, 1944; La Paz, 1949 3
John Jolly Espy (d. 1934), American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1916 3
Henry D. Espy, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1948 3
G. Andrews Espy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Ohio 1st District, 1946 3
Ben Espy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 2000 3
Arthur Espy, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1944 3
Albert Michael Espy (b. 1953), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Mississippi 2nd District, 1987-93; U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, 1993 3
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 30) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html