Topliffe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Topliffe

What does the name Topliffe mean?

Today's generation of the Topliffe family bears a name that was brought to England by the migration wave that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Topliffe family lived in Yorkshire. The name is derived from a combination of the Old English personal name Topp, and the word leah, meaning wood or clearing, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a wood or clearing owned by someone named Topp.

Early Origins of the Topliffe family

The surname Topliffe was first found in Yorkshire where they are conjecturally descended from a junior branch of the Percys. Topcliff (Topclive) in the North Riding of Yorkshire was granted to a Norman Baron named William Percy who later became the Earl of Northumberland and one of the most senior mighty nobles of the land. At the time of the Conquest, Topcliff consisted of a church and a mill on the side of the banks of the River Swale. 1

The first record of the Tiplady variant was that of Johanna Tippelevedy who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301. Later John Typlady and Henry Tipelady were both listed in Yorkshire in 1490 and 1494, respectively. 2

And a search of early rolls for the Topcliffe variant revealed Herueus de Toppecliue in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219. 2

Early History of the Topliffe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Topliffe research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1391, 1451, 1532, 1593, 1598, 1603, 1604, 1740, 1778, 1832 and 1834 are included under the topic Early Topliffe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Topliffe Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Topliffe include Topley, Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief, Toplis and many more.

Early Notables of the Topliffe family

George Topcliff, Member of Parliament for Scarborough (1451); and Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778), an Anglican clergyman and hymn-writer. Richard Topcliffe (1532-1604), was a persecutor of Roman Catholics, born, according to his own account, in 1532, was the eldest son of Robert Topcliffe of Somerby, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. "Topcliffe's name appears in the special commission against Jesuits which...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Topliffe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Topliffe migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Topliffes to arrive on North American shores:

Topliffe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Topliffe, who landed in Maryland in 1649-1662 3

Sources +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)