HEAPS
Heaps is an English surname of Anglo Saxon origin, derived from the Middle English word heap, meaning a pile or mound. The name is classed as either a locational or topographic surname, reflecting a proximity to a prominent natural or artificial rise.
In the case of a locational surname, the earliest record is the place called Heap (Bridge), now a locality in Heywood in Greater Manchester. The placename appeared as Hep in 1226 and as Hepe in 1278, and is derived from the Old English pre‑seventh century word heap, denoting a mound, hill or heap. Individuals who left their birthplace and settled elsewhere often adopted such surnames as a means of identification.
As a topographic surname, Heaps and its variants Heap and Heape denoted residence by a hill or mound. Topographic surnames were among the earliest created, because natural and man‑made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded spelling of the family name is that of Robert de Hep, dated 1226, in the "Records of Lancashire Land Charters" during the reign of King Henry XI, known as the "Frenchman" (1216‑1272). A subsequent record from 1278 lists a person named Hepe.
Church register evidence from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries shows the surname in use in northern England. On 27th October 1594, the marriage of John Heaps and Ann Johnson was recorded at Moltram in Longdendale, Cheshire. A year later, on 29th January 1609, the union of George Heaps and Anna Sunderland was documented in Sheffield, Yorkshire.
A coat of arms was granted to a family of this name. The blazon describes a silver shield featuring a red chevron between two red crescents in chief, and a dexter arm embowed couped fesseways wielding a sword, all rendered in the colour red.
Throughout history, the surname Heaps has remained relatively uncommon, with its greatest concentration in the northern counties of England, particularly Lancashire. Its bearers historically adhered to the Christian faith, reflecting the predominant religion of the British Isles at the time of its origins.
Typical given names associated with the Heaps surname
Male
- Andrew
- Brian
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Michael
- Peter
- Philip
- Robert
- William
Female
- Angela
- Catherine
- Jean
- Joan
- Joanne
- Laura
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Susan
- Tracey
- Yvonne
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 Heaps in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 1,684 people named Heaps in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,869th most common surname in Britain. Around 26 in a million people in Britain are named Heaps.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Heaps
- Rob Heaps - Actor
- A. A. Heaps - Canadian politician (1885 to 1954)
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.