Hoppas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The ancient name of Hoppas finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a dancer. The surname Hoppas is derived from the Old English word hoppian, which means to hop, to leap, or to dance. 1

"The name of Hopper is also established in Cambridgeshire and Devonshire. In the 13th century it occurred as Le Hoppere, or Le Hopper, in Lincolnshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, etc." 2

Early Origins of the Hoppas family

The surname Hoppas was first found in Wiltshire, where Edric le Hoppere was listed in the Pipe Rolls for 1203 and later in the Curia Regis Rolls for Worcester in 1204. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had three listings for the family: Richard le Hoppare Oxfordshire; Gerard le Hopper, Suffolk; and Reginald le Hopper, Cambridgeshire. 4

Further to the north in Scotland, "Robert Hopper received the acre of land called Stampardesakyr in the territory of Coldingham, and in 1275 witnessed a charter of lands in Raynigton to the Abbey of Coldstream. The name of a burgess family of good standing in Edinburgh from beginning of the fifteenth century. David Hopper held a tenement in the burgh in 1486, and Adam Hoppar was a notary public in the diocese of St. Andrews in 1524." 5

Early History of the Hoppas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoppas research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1220, 1254, 1275, 1388, 1540, 1559, 1581, 1593, 1628, 1668, 1687, 1799, 1803, 1834 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hoppas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoppas Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hoppas family name include Hopper, Hawper, Happer and others.

Early Notables of the Hoppas family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hoppas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hoppas family to Ireland

Some of the Hoppas family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hoppas family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hoppas surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Robert Hopper arrived in Philadelphia in 1686; Anthony Hopper settled in Maryland in 1775; along with Cornelius, Thomas; Fred, George, John, Robert, Thomas and William Hopper all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..

The Hoppas 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: Subditus fidelis regis est salus regni
Motto Translation: A faithful subject of the king is a preserver of the monarchy.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)