Show ContentsTemple History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Temple Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Temple

What does the name Temple mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Temple comes from the family having resided in an area that was close to the temple. Temple is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. During the Middle Ages, as society became more complex, individuals needed a way to be distinguishable from others. Toponymic surnames were developed as a result of this need. Various features in the landscape or area were used to distinguish people from one another. In this case the original bearers of the surname Temple were named due to their close proximity to the temple or the place of worship.

Early Origins of the Temple family

The surname Temple was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, and said to be descended from Leofric, the Saxon Earl of Chester, who died in 1057 before the Conquest. He left issue, Algar, Earl of Mercia and East Anglia, and the son Henry who obtained land from Robert, Earl of Leicester in the form of the Manor of Temple in Leicestershire. 1 One line of this name claim Burton Dassett, Warwickshire as their ancestral home.

Much father to the south and west, we found this interesting note about the parish of Temple, Cornwall. "However applicable the name of this parish might have been to it in former years, nothing can be more injudicious than its present appropriation, since the whole district contains no place of worship whatever, and only three cottages in which human beings reside. The manor and church of Temple belonged originally to the Knights Templars, to whom were given many peculiar privileges. This order was founded in the year 1118, when Godfrey de St. Omer, Hugh de Pagans, and several others offered their services to Baldwin, king of Jerusalem, to defend the pilgrims travelling thither from robbery and violence. Baldwin, to reward their services, bestowed upon them a house near the Temple, in consequence of which they were called Knights Templars. When the Knights Templars and their retinue deserted the place, their tenants, not having their possessions, followed their example. Their chapel was then suffered to fall into ruin." 2

Early History of the Temple family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Temple research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1555, 1567, 1599, 1600, 1606, 1611, 1613, 1627, 1628, 1634, 1637, 1641, 1645, 1653, 1657, 1663, 1669, 1670, 1674, 1677, 1680, 1697, 1699, 1718 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Temple History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Temple Spelling Variations

Temple has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Temple, Tempell, Temples and others.

Early Notables of the Temple family

  • Sir Thomas Temple (1567- ca. 1637), English landowner and Member of Parliament, created 1st Baronet Temple of Stowe, Buckinghamshire in 1611
  • Peter Temple (ca. 1599-1663) of Temple Hall, an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1645 and 1653, one of the Regicides of King Charles
  • James Temple (1606-1680), a puritan and English Civil War soldier from Rochester, Kent who was convicted of the regicide of Charles
  • Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Baronet (1613-1674), British proprietor, Governor of Acadia (Nova Scotia) (1657-1670)
  • Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet (1634-1697), an English politician
  • Sir William Temple (1628-1699), British statesman, and writer, who arranged the marriage between William of Orange and Princess Mary of England (later William III and Mary II)
  • Sir Richard Temple (1669-1749), British statesman, created Viscount Cobham in 1718

Temple Ranking

Newfoundland, Canada, the name Temple is the 708th most popular surname with an estimated 61 people with that name. 3 However, in the United States, the name Temple is ranked the 1,465th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Temple family to Ireland

Some of the Temple family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Temple migration to Australia +

Temple Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr.Thomas Temple, British settler who was convicted in Norfolk, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Fortune" on 31st October 1812, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Mr. William Temple, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
  • Mr. William Temple, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • John Temple, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. George Temple, (b. 1795), aged 36, Scottish cabinet maker who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 14 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1835 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Temple 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:

  • William Temple, aged 19, a farmer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" between 1841 and 1850
Temple Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Susan Temple, (b. 1837), aged 30, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1867 10
  • Mr. Temple, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th October 1868 10
  • G. Temple, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Queen" in 1883 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Temple (post 1700) +

  • Matthew Temple (b. 1999), Australian swimmer, bronze medals winner at the 2020 Summer Olympics, gold medal winner at the 2019 World Championships
  • Peter Temple (1946-2018), South African-born, Australian crime fiction writer, mainly known for his Jack Irish novel series
  • Robert Philip Temple (b. 1939), English-born, New Zealand author of novels, children's stories, and non-fiction
  • Juno Violet Temple (b. 1989), English BAFTA Award winning actress, known for her roles in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Maleficent (2014) and Atonement (2007), daughter of Julien Temple
  • Derek William Temple (b. 1938), English former footballer
  • George Arthur Temple (b. 1887), commonly known as Arthur Temple, an English footballer who played for Hull City in the Football League in the early 1900s
  • Henry John Temple (1784-1865), English statesman and politician, 3d Viscount Palmerston, twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1859-1865) and (1855-1858)
  • Frederick Temple (1821-1902), English (Santa Maura born), Anglican prelate, and Archbishop of Canterbury (1896-1902)
  • George Frederick James Temple (1901-1992), English mathematician awarded the Sylvester Medal in 1969 and was President of the London Mathematical Society (1951-1953)
  • ... (Another 42 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Temple 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: Templa quam dilecta
Motto Translation: Temples, how beloved.

Suggested Readings for the name Temple +

  • The Rise of the Temples by Albert R. Temple.
  • The Temple Family of Wake County, North Carolina, and Related Families by Eunice Temple Kirkpatrick.
  • William Temple of Prince George County, Virginia and His Descendants by Lucy Temple,.
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  3. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  8. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html

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