Jesopp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Jesopp is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Jesopp comes from the ancient personal name Joseph. The surname Jessop was a baptismal name which meant Joseph. 1

Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.

Early Origins of the Jesopp family

The surname Jesopp was first found in Sussex where William Josep was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1296. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included an entry for Richard filius Josep in Cambridgeshire at that time and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus Josop and Johannes Jesop as holding lands there. 3

Early History of the Jesopp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Jesopp research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1612, 1624, 1631, 1632, 1643, 1648, 1658, 1663 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Jesopp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Jesopp Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Jessop, Jessope, Jesop, Jesope, Jessopp, Jessup and many more.

Early Notables of the Jesopp family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Constantine Jessop (1602?-1658), an English Presbyterian minister, son of John Jessop, minister at Pembroke, was born about 1602. In 1624, at the age of twenty-two, he was entered as a student at Jesus College, Oxford. "Thence he went to Trinity College, Dublin, and there graduated B.A. He was incorporated B.A. at Oxford on 30 June 1631, and graduated M.A. on 8 May 1632. On 11 May...
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Jesopp Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Jesopp family to Ireland

Some of the Jesopp family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Jesopp family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Jesopp or a variant listed above: Walter Jessup settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1635; Thomas Jessupp settled in Virginia in 1635; Robert Jessop settled in Massachusetts in 1635; Edward Jessup of Yorkshire settled in Fairfield, Conn. in 1639..

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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)