Neef History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Neef surname is derived from a place called Nevay in Angus.
Early Origins of the Neef family
The surname Neef was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), in the territorial origin from Nevay, a former parish now united to Essie. 1
"In 1219 Adam de Neveth was present at the perambulation of the bounds between the lands of the Abbey of Arbroath and the barony of Kinblethmont. Alexander de Neve, a Scots prisoner of war in England, had a safe conduct to return to Scotland in 1422. Thomas Nevay who witnessed the transumpt of a charter in 1450 is doubtless the Thomas Neiff, chaplain in Brechin in 1453." 2
Early History of the Neef family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Neef research. Another 256 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1219, 1453, 1511, 1558, 1579, 1597, 1637, 1647, 1666, 1672, 1792, 1850 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Neef History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Neef Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Nevay, Neave, Neaves, Nevey, Neve, Neevey and others.
Early Notables of the Neef family
Notable among the family at this time was John Nevay (died 1672), a Scottish Covenanter who after the Resortaion was banished by the privy council to Holland.
John Nevay (1792-1870) the Scottish poet, was born in Forfar on 28 January 1792, the...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Neef Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Neef migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Neef Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- John David Neef, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 3
Neef Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Hartman Neef, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1802 3
- Wilhelm Neef, aged 45, who arrived in America in 1881 3
- Peter Neef, who arrived in Arkansas in 1888 3
- William Neef, who arrived in Arkansas in 1894 3
The Neef Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Sola proba quae honestas
Motto Translation: Those things only are good which are honorable.
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
- 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)