| ![Show Contents]() Reefe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Reefe is a name that was formed by the Anglo-Saxon society of old Britain. The name was thought to have been used for someone who once worked as a local representative of a lord, a reeve, sheriff, steward or bailiff. 1 2 The surname Reefe was originally derived from the Old English (ge)refa which referred to a representative. 3 The name is "an official appointed by the lord of the manor to supervise his tenants' work." 4 Early Origins of the Reefe familyThe surname Reefe was first found in Leicestershire where Walter and James le Reve were listed in 1220. John atte Reuese was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. The plural form of the name which is actually most common today dates back to 1332 when Richard del Reves was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332. 3 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Sampson le Reve, Suffolk; and John le Reve, Cambridgeshire. 5 In Somerset, William le Reve, John le Reveson, and William le Reveson were listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 6 Early History of the Reefe familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reefe research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1585, 1594, 1608, 1611, 1618, 1638, 1647, 1658, 1660, 1662, 1667, 1672, 1673, 1678, 1686, 1726, 1729, 1737, 1818, 1861, 1865 and 1900 are included under the topic Early Reefe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Reefe Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Reefe include Reeve, Reve, Reave, Reaves, Reeves and others. Early Notables of the Reefe familyDistinguished members of the family include Edmund Reeve (1585-1647), English Justice of the Common Pleas, son of Christopher Reeve of Felthorpe, Norfolk; Edmund Reeve (died 1660), English divine, vicar of Hayes-cum-Norwood, Middlesex; Thomas Reeve (1594-1672), English Royalist divine, born at Langley, Norfolk, son of Thomas Reeve, a husbandman; John Reeve (1608-1658), an English plebeian prophet, believed the voice of God had instructed him to found a Third Commission in...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Reefe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Reefe family to Ireland
Some of the Reefe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 196 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Reefe migration to the United States | + |
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Reefe were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:
Reefe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John O. Reefe, aged 60, who arrived in New York in 1896 aboard the ship "Saint Paul" from Southampton, England 7
Reefe Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Rose Reefe, aged 13, originally from Kingston, Jamicia, who arrived in New York in 1915 aboard the ship "Mandeville" from Kingston, Jamaica 7
| Contemporary Notables of the name Reefe (post 1700) | + |
- Leon Reefe, English politician, member of the Hertsmere Borough Council in Hertfordshire in 2001 and 2003
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: Animum rege
Motto Translation: Rule thy mind.
- Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
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Reefe migration to the United States 
England
Ireland
