Upchurch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient and distinguished surname Upchurch is Old English in origin, tracing its history back to the time of Anglo-Saxon England. The name means "of Upshire," and refers to someone from the hamlet Upshire in county Essex. It is also possible that the name sometimes means "of Upchurch," referring in this case to someone from the parish of Upchurch in county Kent, but the Essex variation is considered the parent.

Early Origins of the Upchurch family

The surname Upchurch was first found in Essex, where John Upchar was reportedly living in 1420, according to "A Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds." The Upchurch family held a family seat in this region from early times, and contributed greatly to the development of medieval English society.

Early History of the Upchurch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Upchurch research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1420, 1620, 1639, 1674, 1849 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Upchurch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Upchurch Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Upsher, Upcher, Upshar, Upchar, Upshire, Upchurch and others.

Early Notables of the Upchurch family

More information is included under the topic Early Upchurch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Upchurch Ranking

In the United States, the name Upchurch is the 2,979^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1

Upchurch migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Upchurch Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mich Upchurch, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 2

Upchurch Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Upchurch, who settled in Virginia in 1746

Upchurch Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

George J Upchurch, who immigrated to the United States, in 1909
Charles W Upchurch, who landed in America, in 1918
John Upchurch, aged 34, who settled in America from Winchester, England, in 1919
P.F. Upchurch, aged 24, who immigrated to the United States to settle in Apex, North Carolina, in 1922

Upchurch 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:

Upchurch Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

J. L. W. Upchurch, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Shepherd" in 1870

Contemporary Notables of the name Upchurch (post 1700) +

Avery C. Upchurch (1928-1994), American Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1983 to 1993
Carl Douglass Upchurch (1950-2003), American activist, author and educator
Jefferson Woodrow "Woody" Upchurch (1911-1971), American Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched for three games for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1935 season
Greg David Upchurch (b. 1971), American percussionist, current drummer for 3 Doors Down
Richard “Rick” Upchurch (b. 1952), former professional American football player
Phil Upchurch (b. 1941), American well-known jazz and blues guitarist
John David Upchurch, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Illinois State Senate 51st District, 1938; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 24th District, 1948, 1950 3
Hamilton D. Upchurch, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Florida State House of Representatives 28th District; Elected 1978 3
Frank D. Upchurch, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 1948, 1952 (alternate) 3
E. F. Upchurch, American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate 18th District, 1915-16 3
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html