Drove History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Drove

What does the name Drove mean?

The name Drove comes from one of the family having worked as a person who drove a herd of livestock such as cattle or sheep from one place to another; such a person was called a drover. The surname Drove is derived from the Old English word draf, which means drove or herd.

Early Origins of the Drove family

The surname Drove was first found in Hampshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor, some say well before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Drove family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drove research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Drove History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drove Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Drove have been found, including: Drover, Drovere, Droves, Drove and others.

Early Notables of the Drove family

Drover of Hampshire

Drove migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Drove, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :

Drove Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Drove, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 1

Sources +

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)