Show ContentsSoffe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Soffe Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Early Origins and Etymology of Soffe

The surname Soffe was first found in Lancashire at Shakerley, which is now a suburb of Tyldesley in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. Shakerley is derived from the Old English words "sceacere" + "leah" and literally meant "robbers woodland glade or clearing." 1 2

This property 'formerly almost exclusively the property of the Shakerleys of Somerford in Cheshire. The site of the hall is marked by a moat, and continued to be the residence of the Shakerleys till the middle of the last century.' 3

The earliest record of the place name was Shakerlee in 1210. Adam de Shakerley was the first of the name living in the area about 1200. Later, Henry de Shakresleghe, de Shakerleghe was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332. 4

Early History of the Soffe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Soffe research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1610, 1631, 1650 and 1651 are included under the topic Early Soffe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Soffe Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Shakerley, Shackerly, Shackerley, Shack and many more.

Early Notables of the Soffe family

Jeremy Shakerley (fl. 1650), English astronomer and mathematician, was author of 'The Anatomy of Urania Practica,' or a short Mathematical Discourse. "Shakerley's chief claim to distinction is as the second observer of the transit of Mercury. The first transit was observed in 1631. According to Vincent Wing, Shakerley foretold the transit of 1651...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Soffe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Soffe migration to the United States +



Soffe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Soffe, who landed in America in 1804 5

Soffe migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Soffe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Sydney Soffe, aged 35, a joiner, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Glenlora" in 1873
  • Harriet Soffe, aged 37, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Glenlora" in 1873
  • Alice Soffe, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Glenlora" in 1873
  • John N. Soffe, aged 14, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888
  • Joseph Soffe, aged 12, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

Contemporary Notables of the name Soffe (post 1700) +

  • Vaughn C. Soffe, American politician, Mayor of Murray, Utah, 1971-77 6

The Soffe 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: Antiquum Obtinens
Motto Translation: Possessing our ancient honour.
  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Baines Thomas & William Fairbairn, Lancashire and Cheshire, Past and Present History of Counties London: William MacKenzie, 1867, Digital, 4 vols
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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