High History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name High comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a tall or distinguished person. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, physical stature, habits, or character.
Early Origins of the High family
The surname High was first found in Buckinghamshire, where they held a family seat from very early times.
Early History of the High family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our High research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1567 and 1585 are included under the topic Early High History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
High Spelling Variations
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name High has undergone many spelling variations, including High, Hye, Hyee, Heye, Highe and others.
Early Notables of the High family
More information is included under the topic Early High Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
High Ranking
In the United States, the name High is the 2,286th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1
High migration to the United States +
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name High were among those contributors:
High Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Tho High, who landed in Virginia in 1663 2
- Archibald High, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 2
High Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Lawrence High, who settled in Philadelphia in 1769
- John High, a bonded passenger sent to America in 1772
- John High, who arrived in America in 1782 2
High Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- E High, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
- Robert High, who settled in Philadelphia in 1867
High migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
High Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. George High, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
- Mr. Benjamin High, English convict who was convicted in Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 27 September 1834, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Contemporary Notables of the name High (post 1700) +
- Stanley High, American newspaper editor
- Robert K High, American lawyer who served with the USAAF from 1942 to 1944
- Ernest C High, American hospital administrator who served with the USAAF from 1951 to 1956
- Jed A. High, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Missouri 15th District, 1926; Candidate for Governor of Missouri, 1940 5
- J. B. High, American politician, Mayor of Beatrice, Nebraska, 1932 5
- Hiram M. High, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1900; Member of Michigan State Senate 19th District, 1901 5
- Frank A. High, American politician, Candidate for Missouri State House of Representatives from St. Louis City 5th District, 1936 5
- Frank A. High, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1896 5
- Doyle High, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Texas State Senate 30th District, 1994 5
- Beverly Frances High (b. 1944), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from District of Columbia, 1972 5
- ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name High +
- History of John High Family of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1754-1977 by Levi high.
- My High Line by Joseph and Jessye high.
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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html