| ![Show Contents]() Top History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Top is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from the Old Norse name Toppr. 1 Many Scandinavian personal names were left in the British Isles as a legacy of the Viking raids which plagued the coastal regions of Britain from the 8th to 10th centuries, and many of these eventually became Anglo-Saxon surnames. Alternatively, some researchers believe the name to denote "An elevated spot known in some dialects as a top, and is used antithetically to bottom. Residence on such a spot would originate the surname." 2 3 4 Early Origins of the Top familyThe surname Top was first found in Gloucestershire where Robert Toppe was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1196. A few years later, in Lincolnshire, Herueius filius Toppe was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1200 and Roger Top was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1208 in Norfolk. 1 It was the branch in Wiltshire that later rose to prominence and hold that position for centuries. "The Dorset family of Topp probably belong to the ancient Wiltshire family of Topp, now extinct, that held the manor of Stockton in Wiltshire from before the Reformation until the close of last century, when it passed by marriage into the possession of Robert Balch, Esq., of St. Audries, Somerset." 5 Interestingly, the Register of the University of Oxford included Henry Topp, Dorset, 1600-1607 and John Toppe, Wiltshire, 1612. Parish records in Stourton, Wiltshire include two baptismal records: John Tooppe, 1580 and David, son of Robert Toope, 1639. 3 In Somerset, we found Robert Top and William Toppe, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 6 Moving north to Scotland, we found "Edward Top admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1486 is doubtless the Edward Top who was fined in 1497 for 'failzeit in the waching of the tone'. " 7 Early History of the Top familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Top research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1669, 1844, 1850, 1858, 1902 and 1916 are included under the topic Early Top History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Top Spelling VariationsBefore English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Top include Topp, Top, Toppe and others. Early Notables of the Top familyNotables of the family at this time include - Arthur Maning Topp (1844-1916), an Australian journalist who helped to establish the Melbourne Review...
- Born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, he was the eldest son of the late Samuel Topp, who emigrated to Australia in 1858...
- He was the elder brother of Samuel St John Topp (1850-1902), the Australian barrister who became a leading member of the Victorian legal profession...
Top RankingIn France, the name Top is the 4,138th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 8 However, in Netherlands, the name Top is ranked the 972nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,121 people with that name. 9
 Top migration to the United States | + |
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:
Top Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Edward Top, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 10
Top Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John M Top, who landed in New York in 1846 10
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- 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)
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
- 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)
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Top migration to the United States 
England
Scotland
