Toope History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Toope

What does the name Toope mean?

The Toope surname finds its earliest origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name is derived from the Old Danish personal name Topi. Many Scandinavian personal names were left in the British Isles as a legacy of the Viking raids which plagued the coastal regions of Britain from the 8th to 10th centuries, and many of these eventually became Anglo-Saxon surnames.

Early Origins of the Toope family

The surname Toope was first found in Somerset, where the first records of the name are Robert Top and William Toppe, bother recorded there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 1

"The Dorset family of Topp probably belong to the ancient Wiltshire family of Topp, now extinct, that held the manor of Stockton in Wilts from before the Reformation until the close of last century, when it passed by marriage into the possession of Robert Balch, Esq., of St. Audries, Somerset." 2

"The manor of Killenick [at Land's End, Cornwall] belonged, in the reign of Richard II. to John Longeland and Lankford. This manor has been dismembered ; and it was sold in the year 1720, under a decree of chancery, in its divided state. Bosvargus, which was formerly a seat belonging to a family of that name, was at one time inherited by the learned Jonathan Toup, rector of St. Martin's, near Looe." 3

Some of the family were found in Scotland as "Edward Top admitted [was] burgess of Aberdeen, 1486 is doubtless the Edward Top who was fined in 1497 for 'failzeit in the waching of the tone.'" 4

Early History of the Toope family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Toope research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1580 and 1639 are included under the topic Early Toope History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Toope Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Toope are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Toope include: Toop, Toope, Tooppe, Toopes, Toup, Toupe, Tupe, Toowp and many more.

Early Notables of the Toope family

David Toope, property owner, Wiltshire

Toope Ranking

Newfoundland, Canada, the name Toope is the 507^th most popular surname with an estimated 92 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Toope family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Toope or a variant listed above: Johanna Toop, who, at the age of 21; sailed to Jamaica in 1731; Henry Toopes, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753; and John Toop, who settled in Maryland in 1823..

Contemporary Notables of the name Toope (post 1700) +

Stephen J Toope (b. 1958), President of the University of British Columbia

Sources +

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.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
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)
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)