Wasey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Wasey family

The surname Wasey was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat. The name, taking many forms, predominated in Cornwall before the Conquest, dating back to 1000 A,D, as Wasso, Wasce, Wazo, Gazo, Gasche, (all pronounced approximately the same) and in the next two centuries they proliferated along the south coast of England into Somerset, Hampshire, Essex, Cambridge and as far north as Lincolnshire.

Wace (fl. 1170), the famous chronicler, was born in Jersey, probably about 1100. His parents' names are unknown; his mother was a daughter of Toustein, Chamberlain to Robert I, Duke of Normandy. He is best known for his poem 'Roman de Rou,' a work, as reconstituted by modern French criticism. 1

At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, a census taken by Duke William of all his taxable estates, the name was represented by Robertus filius Wazonis, a Latin version of the surname. The spelling of Gace is pronounced Wace, just as Guilliam is William.

Early History of the Wasey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wasey research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379, 1627, 1672, 1690, 1691, 1694, 1695, 1738, 1750, 1757 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Wasey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wasey Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Wace, Waison, Wayson, Wasson, Wash, Waze, Waize, Waice, Gaish, Gash, Gason, Gasson, Gaze, Ways, Wasso, Waso, Gace, Gaco, Wass and many more.

Early Notables of the Wasey family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

William Wasey (1691-1757), was an English physician, the son of William Wasey, an attorney, who resided at Brunstead in Norfolk. He rose to become president of the College of Physicians, London in 175...

Migration of the Wasey family to Ireland

Some of the Wasey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wasey migration to the United States +

An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Wasey:

Wasey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Wasey, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1683 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Wasey (post 1700) +

Louis "Lou" Wasey (d. 1963), American co-owner of Cat Cays, two islands in the Bahamas with his wife Rae Wasey which they purchased in 1931 for $400,000
Jane Wasey (1912-1992), American artist known for her sculptures of human and animal figures
Akhtarul Wasey (b. 1951), Indian scholar and academician, who serves as the president of Maulana Azad University, in Jodhpur, India
Richard Wasey Chopping (1917-2008), British illustrator and author, best known for his many illustrations used on Ian Fleming's James Bond novels starting with From Russia, with Love (1957)

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)