ALLSOP
Allsop is a surname of English origin, classically understood as a locational name derived from a place within Derbyshire. It is most closely associated with the hamlet of Alsop‑en‑le‑Dale, a chapelry in the parish of Ashborne, and the surrounding valley that the name describes.
Whence the name emerged is a matter of Old English linguistics. The element hop signified a small enclosed valley or hollow. The first portion of the surname has been interpreted in two principal ways. One derivation links it to the personal name Ælfsige, composed of ælf (elf) and cæg (victory). This renders the meaning as “Ælfsige’s valley.” A second, and often cited, derivation sees the element alls as meaning “the upper part.” Under that construction the name translates as “valley of the high land.” Either interpretation points to a topographical origin connected with a notable landholder of the area.
The earliest documentary evidence for the surname dates to the late tenth and early eleventh centuries. In the Domesday survey of 1086 the place is recorded as Elleshope, while the 1241 “Registrum Antiquissimum” of Derbyshire lists it as Aleshop. The name is further confirmed in 1175 by the entry for Gamel de Haleshoppe in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire, conducted during the reign of Henry I. Subsequent medieval records contain forms such as William Alsape (Cambridgeshire, 1273) and Philip Alsope (Cambridgeshire, 1279). An example of the name’s use in a non‑local context appears in 1538, when a Thomas Alsop served as a gentleman potuyer to Henry V in the Privy Purse records of Princess Mary.
As with many locational surnames, the name functioned initially as a descriptor for landowners and local lords; it often served to identify individuals who had departed their native valley to settle elsewhere. Over the centuries the spelling of the surname has varied widely. Recorded variants include Allsop, Alsop, Allsopp, Alsope, Elsip, Elsop, Allsopp‑Gardiner, Allshed, Allshopp, Allowshoppe, Allshope, Allicep, Allasp, Alstop, Allstop, and Ausop, among others. These variations reflect changes in orthographic conventions and the migration of families from the Midlands to other parts of the British Isles and overseas.
The Alsop family of Alsop, Derbyshire, was granted a heraldic badge that is still recognised today. The shield is black with three silver doves rising, the legs and beaks of which are red. The crest is a gold dove with expanded wings, a red beak and legs, holding an ear of wheat in its beak. This coat of arms is associated specifically with the Alsop line of Derbyshire proprietors and is occasionally used by contemporary bearers of the surname.
For several centuries the surname remained concentrated in the English Midlands, especially within Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and surrounding counties. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it had become more widespread, with notable concentrations in the North West and Yorkshire, particularly Lancashire, Cumbria and Northumberland, and a significant cluster along the Scots border. In the United States, Allsop families are most commonly found in the Midwest and the South, with historical settlement in Kansas, Iowa and Mississippi, as well as pockets in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. Across the Commonwealth, the surname appears in Australia, mainly on the west and east coast and within New South Wales and Queensland; in Canada it concentrates in Ontario, with presence in Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia; and in New Zealand it finds some representation on both islands, predominantly the North. These distributions reflect patterns of emigration from Britain during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Today, individuals bearing the surname continue to be recognised for their perseverance and community engagement. The name is maintained in its original locality, and bearers remain active in local societies and professional circles. The enduring presence of the surname across the English‑speaking world testifies to its robust historical roots and the mobility of its carriers beginning in the early medieval period.
Typical given names associated with the Allsop surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Allsop in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 5,298 people named Allsop in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,786th most common surname in Britain. Around 81 in a million people in Britain are named Allsop.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Allsop
- Ryan Allsop - Football goalkeeper
- Kenneth Allsop - Broadcaster, author and naturalist (1920 to 1973)
- Jane Allsop - Australian actress
- William Allsop - Football player (1912 to 1997)
- Richard Allsop - Cricketer (1849 to 1908)
- Dean Allsop - Darts player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.