Port History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Port surname comes from the Middle/Old English word "port," meaning "a harbor," or "market town" As such, the surname is thought to have been a topographic name for someone who lived near a port, or a market town.
Early Origins of the Port family
The surname Port was first found in Hampshire and Dorset. The family claim descent from Hugo de Port who came to England at the Norman Conquest and held fifty-five lordships in those counties. 1
A Hubert de Port was also a tenant in capite in Hampshire as listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. 2
Adam de Port or Porz (died 1213) was an English Baron, eldest son of John de Port and Maud, his wife, grandson of Henry de Port, lord of Basing in Hampshire. Adam reported to the exchequer in 1164, his father John being then alive, for about twenty-four knights' fees in Herefordshire. In 1172 accused of treason and of plotting the death of the king; he was summoned to appear before the king's court, disobeyed the summons, fled from England, and was outlawed. He seems to have returned to England at some point as he was fined three hundred marks for trespassing in the royal forests in 1176. He is said to have served the king in Normandy in 1194. 3
From these early records, the family quickly scattered. "The church [of Upper Areley, Staffordshire], which is situated on an eminence commanding a fine prospect, was first built by Henry de Port, in the reign of Henry I., and was rebuilt in the time of Edward I." 4
Another branch of the family was found at early times in Derbyshire. "The manor belonged to Welbeck Abbey, Nottinghamshire, in the reign of Stephen. It was given by Henry VIII., in 1540, to Sir John Port, Knt., one of the justices of the king's bench." 4
In Devon, "Old Port, a very remarkable fortification of unknown antiquity, on the Erme, gave name to the De la Ports, and is suggested by Mr. R. J. King as of older date than Saxon times. ' It may have been the work of the Romans before their withdrawal .... or it may have been raised by some British King of Damnonia, working and building under Roman traditions, for defence against the Saxon host.' " 5
Early History of the Port family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Port research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1486, 1517, 1522, 1527, 1541, 1557, 1606, 1617 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Port History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Port Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Port, Le Port, De la Port, Delaport, Porte, De Porte, Deport, Deporte and many more.
Early Notables of the Port family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Sir John Port (c. 1480-1541), English jurist, born at Chester, where his ancestors had been merchants for some generations; his father, Henry, was mayor of Chester in 1486. In 1517 he was 'clerk of ex...
- His son Sir John Port (died 1557) was the first lecturer or scholar on his father's foundation of Brasenose College, Oxford. He was an English Knight of the Bath and Justice of the Common Pleas. (NBio...
- John Duport (d. 1617), was a biblical scholar descended from an ancient family at Caen in Normandy, which came into Leicestershire in the reign of Henry IV, was the eldest son of Thomas Duport of Shee...
Port Ranking
In the United States, the name Port is the 11,000th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6
Port migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Port Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Jacob Port, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 7
- Elias Port, who landed in Virginia in 1658 7
- James Port, who arrived in Maryland in 1665
- William Port, who landed in Maryland in 1678 7
Port Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Ann Port, a bonded passenger, who settled in Annapolis, Maryland in 1726
- Peter Port, aged 18, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1742 7
- Johan Jacob Port, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 7
Port Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Port, who landed in Ohio in 1812 7
- George Port, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1812-1813 7
- George Port, who settled in New York in 1812
- James Port, who landed in Ohio in 1812 7
- Francisco Port, aged 42, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1831 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Port migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Port Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Adam Port, who settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1781
Port migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Port Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Charles Port, English convict who was convicted in Canterbury (St. Augustines), Kent, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Port 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:
Port Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- A. Port, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1864
- W.J. Port, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1864
- Margaret Port, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1864
- Thomas Port, aged 44, a plumber, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874
- Susannah Port, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Port (post 1700) +
- Whitney Eve Port (b. 1985), American television personality, fashion designer, and author
- Michael D. Port (b. 1945), American former vice president, Umpiring for Major League Baseball from 2005 through 2011
- Christopher Charles "Chris" Port (b. 1967), former American NFL football offensive lineman for the New Orleans Saints from 1991 to 1995
- Chalmers "Chal" Port (1931-2011), American college baseball coach at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina; he coached for 27 seasons achieving a 641–386–2 record including leading Bulldogs to the 1990 College World Series
- Richard Port, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Hawaii, 1980, 1996, 2004, 2008; Member of Democratic National Committee from Hawaii, 2008 9
- May D. Port, American Republican politician, Member of New York Republican State Committee, 1930; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1932 9
- Fred Port, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Dakota, 1952 9
- Edmund Port, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, 1951-53 9
- Alexander Port, American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Huntingdon County, 1877-78, 1881-82 9
- Alan J. Port, American politician, Representative from Illinois 18th District, 1990; New Alliance Candidate for U.S. Senator from Illinois, 1992 9
- ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Port family +
- Mr. Frank Port, aged 32, English Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 13 10
USS Arizona
- Mr. Stanley H. Port Jr., American Coxswain working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 11
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
- "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 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html