Show ContentsPamp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Scottish name Pamp is carried by the descendents of the Pictish people. It was a name for a confident or haughty person. Pamp is a nickname surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Nicknames form a broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, and can refer directly or indirectly to one's personality, physical attributes, mannerisms, or even their habits of dress. The surname Pamp comes from the Old English word pope, which referred to the Bishop of Rome, and the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Although this is also a title of office, as a surname, it was most often applied as a nickname. 1

Early Origins of the Pamp family

The surname Pamp was first found in Elgin where "a family of Paips or Papes appear to have belonged originally, and some of them were in the legs profession before the Reformation. In Caithness, Sutherland, and Orkney, the surname is still pronounced Paip. In 1363 William Pop, son and heir of William Pop, burgess of Elgin, made a gift to the altar of the Virgin in the church of S. Giles in Elgin, and in 1375 there is mention of Robert Pop of Elgin. Adam Popp and Robertus Popp were jurors on an assize regarding the mill lands of Quarelwode in 1389." 2

Early History of the Pamp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pamp research. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1137, 1393, 1397, 1400, 1507, 1516, 1540, 1559, 1573, 1580, 1585, 1596, 1598, 1599, 1602, 1603, 1606, 1611, 1622, 1624, 1627, 1631, 1653, 1660, 1688, 1714, 1744 and 1782 are included under the topic Early Pamp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pamp Spelling Variations

Translation has done much to alter the appearance of many Scottish names. It was a haphazard process that lacked a basic system of rules. Spelling variations were a common result of this process. Pamp has appeared Pope, Paip, Pape, Paipe, Popp and others.

Early Notables of the Pamp family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Thomas Pope (died 1400), from Gloucester, was an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Gloucester in 1393 and 1397; Sir Thomas Pope (1507-1559), English founder of Trinity College, Oxford, elder son of William Pope, a small landowner at Deddington, near Banbury; and Walter Pope (c. 1627-1714), an English astronomer and poet from Northamptonshire.Sir William Pope (1573-1631) of Wroxton Abbey, near Banbury, was...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pamp Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pamp family

Many Scots left their country to travel to the North American colonies in search of the freedom they could not find at home. Of those who survived the difficult voyage, many found the freedom they so desired. There they could choose their own beliefs and allegiances. Some became United Empire Loyalists and others fought in the American War of Independence. The Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up in the last century have allowed many of these disparate Scots to recover their collective national identity. A search of immigration and passenger ship lists revealed many early settlers bearing the Pamp name: Elizabeth Pope, who was on record in Virginia in 1621; Thomas Pope, on record in Virginia in 1623; George Pope, who came to Jamestown, VA in 1624; Anthony Pope, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635.



  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. 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)


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