Height History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Height family
The surname Height was first found in Derbyshire, where the name appeared in the late 13th century. The Height name, like many surnames, is probably topographical in origin, referring to someone who lived at the height, or summit of a hill. Another possibility is that the name referred to a characteristic of its first bearer, in this case probably the fact that he was tall.
Early History of the Height family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Height research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1275 and 1279 are included under the topic Early Height History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Height Spelling Variations
Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval 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. The name has been spelled Height, Hite, Hight, Hyte and others.
Early Notables of the Height family
More information is included under the topic Early Height Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Height Ranking
In the United States, the name Height is the 12,040th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Height migration to the United States +
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Height or a variant listed above:
Height Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Jacob Height, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 2
Height Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Anthony Height, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 2
Height Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Height, aged 26, who landed in America in 1822 2
Height 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:
Height Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. Samuel Height, (b. 1846), aged 19, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 3
- Miss Rhoda Height, (b. 1848), aged 17, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Height (post 1700) +
- Dorothy Irene Height (1912-2010), American administrator, educator, social activist, 2004 recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Jacob S. Height, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Monroe County 4th District, 1898 4
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)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html