Amy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  France 


The origins of this surname lie in the Old French word "ami," meaning "friend," or from the French personal name Amé, which comes from the Latin Amatus, meaning "beloved."

Early Origins of the Amy family

The surname Amy was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Botienne Castle in Cornwall. "In the thirteenth century Richard Amy held from Henry de la Pomeray in Cornwall. His descendants were to be found there till the middle of last century. Mr. Amy, Sheriff of the county in 1714, inherited Botreaux Castle from his uncle Sir John Cotton, and was the father of Cotton Amy, the last heir male, who left only two daughters." 1 Since then, their influence has moved east into Devon, Somerset and Dorset. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Simone and John Ame in Essex temp. Edward I.

Early History of the Amy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Amy research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1619 is included under the topic Early Amy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Amy Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Amy, Amie, Amey, Ammy, L'Amie, L'Amy, L'Amey, Lamey, Lamie and many more.

Early Notables of the Amy family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Amy Ranking

In the United States, the name Amy is the 13,597th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


Amy migration to the United States +

A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Amy:

Amy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Amy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Amy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Amy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Amy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Amy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Amy migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5
Amy Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Amy (post 1700) +
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