Show ContentsNewhook History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Newhook reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Newhook family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Newhook family lived in Yorkshire. The name Newhouse is topographical in nature and is of obvious derivation, indicating that its original bearer lived in a such a house as is described. Some cases of the name are taken from any of several small localities which are so named because they held a new house.

Early Origins of the Newhook family

The surname Newhook was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from early times as Lords of the manor of Neuhuse. This small collection of houses near Gisburn was held by William Percy at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book survey in the year 1086 A.D.

Early History of the Newhook family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newhook research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1176 and 1379 are included under the topic Early Newhook History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newhook 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 Neuhouse, Newhouse, Neuhuse and others.

Early Notables of the Newhook family

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

Newhook Ranking

In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Newhook is the 165th most popular surname with an estimated 238 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Newhook family

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 Newhook name or one of its variants: John Newhouse who settled in Virginia in 1640; Hannah Newhouse settled in New Jersey in 1773; John Newhouse landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1748.


Contemporary Notables of the name Newhook (post 1700) +

  • Cleophas "Cle" Newhook (1943-2018), Newfoundland-born, Canadian theologian, author and politician, Leader of the Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party from 1989 to 1992
  • Hazel Rose Newhook (1914-2016), Newfoundland-born, Canadian politician, MHA for Gander (1979-1986)


  1. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)


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