Josep History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the Josep family arrived in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Josep came 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 Josep family

The surname Josep 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 Josep family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Josep 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 Josep History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Josep 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 Josep 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 Josep Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Josep family to Ireland

Some of the Josep 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.

Josep migration to the United States +

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 Josep or a variant listed above:

Josep Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anna Josep, who arrived in New York in 1709 4
Israel Josep, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Josep (post 1700) +

Joan Josep Folchi i Bonafonte, Catalonia politician, Minister of Economy and Finance (1977-1978)
Josep Alegre i Vilas (1940-2024), Spanish Roman Catholic monk, he was the abbot of the Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet from 1998 to 2015
Josep Maria Fusté Blanch (1941-2023), Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder, Captain of FC Barcelona during the 1960s and early 1970s
Josep Maria Espinàs i Massip (1927-2023), Spanish writer in Catalan language, journalist and publisher known for his novels, travel writing and newspaper articles
Josep Massot i Muntaner (1941-2022), Spanish historian, Roman Catholic monk and philologist
Josep Maria Forn i Costa (b. 1928), Spanish actor, film producer and film director
Josep Eduard Almudéver Mateu (1919-2021), French volunteer in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, born in Marseille
Josep Franch Xargay (1943-2021), Spanish professional footballer who played 186 matches as a defender (1965-1975)
Josep Lluís Martínez Picañol (1948-2021), known as Picanyol, a Spanish autodidact comic illustrator
Josep Maria Mestres Quadreny (1929-2021), Catalan composer

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)
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)