Halfhead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient roots of the Halfhead family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Halfhead comes from when the family lived at the hide or at the residence close by. Halfhead 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. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Halfhead family

The surname Halfhead was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England. A hide is a feudal portion of land that was measured by the quality of land, not its size. In other words, a hide was so much land as "with its house and toft, right of common, and other appurtenances, was considered to be sufficient for the necessities of a family." 1

Urmston in Lancashire is a point of interest to the family. "A family of the local name is mentioned as holding lands here as early as the reign of King John. About the time of Henry IV, Raff Hyde married the heiress of Adam Urmston, and thus obtained the estate." 2

"Here [in Woodford, Wiltshire] was a palace of the bishops of Salisbury, but no traces of it are now visible. Charles II, after the battle of Worcester, was concealed in Heale House, in the parish, at that time the residence of the Hyde family." 2

Hyde in Cheshire was another ancient family seat. "So early as the reign of John, a part of the manor of Hyde was held by a family of the same name, of which the great Lord Chancellor Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, was a descendant; the remaining portion was acquired by them in the reign of Edward III." 2

Early History of the Halfhead family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Halfhead research. Another 170 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1595, 1609, 1617, 1627, 1631, 1637, 1638, 1641, 1665, 1667, 1671, 1674, 1709, 1711, 1712, 1713 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Halfhead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Halfhead Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Halfhead has appeared include Hyde, Hide and others.

Early Notables of the Halfhead family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Anne Hyde (1637-1671), Duchess of York and Albany as the first wife of James, Duke of York (later King James II and VII); Frances Hyde, Countess of Clarendon (1617-1667), an English peeress, the mother-in-law of James II of England; Henry Hyde 2nd Earl of Clarendon PC (1638-1709), an English aristocrat and politician; Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester KG PC (1641-1711), an English statesman and writer; Edward...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Halfhead Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Halfhead family to Ireland

Some of the Halfhead family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Halfhead migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Halfhead arrived in North America very early:

Halfhead Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. John Halfhead, who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" 3
John Halfhead, who arrived in Maryland in 1649 3
Julian Halfhead, who landed in Maryland in 1649 3
Anne Halfhead, who landed in Maryland in 1649 3
James Halfhead, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Halfhead 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: Deus novis haec otio fecit
Motto Translation: God hath given us these things in tranquillity.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)