HUMPHREY
The Humphrey surname originates from the English Isles, chiefly from England, and it is closely linked to the Old Norse personal name Hunfrithr. The components of this name are hun, meaning “bear cub,” and frithr, meaning “peace,” which render an original meaning of “peaceful bear cub.” The surname therefore is a patronymic form indicating descent from an ancestor named Humphrey.
After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the name was introduced to Britain as the Old French personal name Humfrey. It was derived from the Germanic elements hun and frid or fred, both meaning “peace.” The veneration of St. Humfrey, the ninth‑century Bishop of Therouanne, exerted a particular influence on its popularity among Norman settlers, and the name remained initially associated with the nobility, clerics, and scholars of great houses and monasteries.
The earliest documentary evidence of the given name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Humfridus. In the later sixteenth century, London parish records document the marriage of Christopher Humphrey and Susan Gore on 8 December 1586 at St. Benets, an indication of its spread among the wider populace. The first securely cited spelling of the family name is that of William Humphrey, dated 1240 in the Fines Court Rolls of Bedford during the reign of King Henry IX, who is known by the sobriquet “The Frenchman.”
Heraldic bearings have also been recorded for families bearing the name. A coat of arms granted to the Humphrey families of Barton, Northampton, and Shipson, Leicester, features a red shield with a silver cross botonee quartered, each quarter containing three black escallops. The crest is a silver harpy with gold crin and wings displayed. Such heraldic details were traditionally reserved for the gentry and confirm the name’s association with status in early modern England.
Today the surname Humphrey remains predominantly found within the United Kingdom, particularly in England, where it continues to be recognised as part of the country’s Anglo‑Norse heritage. The name’s linguistic roots in both Norse and Old French reflect the complex tapestry of migration, conquest, and cultural exchange that shaped English onomastics. It is a surname of historical depth, indicative of an ancestor whose name embodied both strength and peace.
Typical given names associated with the Humphrey surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Joanne
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sandra
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Humphrys
- Humphreys
- Humphries
- Humphry
- Humphris
- Humphery
- Ho
- Humphray
- Humphriss
- Humphreyson
- Hemphrey
- Hamphrey
- Hamphreys
- Hamphrys
- Homphrey
- Humfrey
- Humfreys
- Humfries
- Humfry
- Humfryes
- Humpfrey
- Humpfreys
- Humpherey
- Humphereys
- Humpheryes
- Humpherys
- Humphfrey
- Humphirys
- Humphory
- Humphras
- Humphrays
- Humphrees
- Humphreis
- Humphres
- Humphress
- Humphreyes
- Humphrie
- Humphriey
- Humphrise
- Humphrs
- Humphrye
- Humphryes
- Humphryson
- Humphyres
- Humprey
- Hamphries
- Hemfrey
- Hemphries
- Humperys
- Humpheries
- Humpheris
- Humphes
- Humphey
- Humphires
- Humphores
- Humphreyies
- Humphriess
- Humpreys
- Hunphrey
- Hunphreys
- Hymphreys
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Humphrey in...
Braille
⠓⠥⠍⠏⠓⠗⠑⠽
Morse
......---.--......-..-.--
Semaphore
There are approximately 13,437 people named Humphrey in the UK. That makes it the 669th most common surname in Britain. Around 206 in a million people in Britain are named Humphrey.
Surname type: From given name or forename
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Humphrey
- Jake Humphrey - Television presenter and journalist
- Hubert Humphrey - Vice-President of the USA under Lyndon B. Johnson (1911 to 1978)
- Caroline Humphrey - Academic, anthropologist
- Nicholas Humphrey - Psychologist
- Chris Humphrey - Football player
- Andrew Humphrey - Marshal of the Royal Air Force (1921 to 1977)
- John Humphrey - Football player
- Carla Humphrey - Football player
- Cleopatra Humphrey - Rapper and singer
- George Humphrey - Psychologist (1889 to 1966)
- William Humphrey - Northern Irish politician
- Sonia Humphrey - Australian television presenter and journalist (1947 to 2011)
- Richard Humphrey - Cricketer
- Richard Humphrey - Cricketer (1848 to 1906)
- Edith Humphrey - Chemist (1875 to 1978)
- Thomas Humphrey - Cricketer (1839 to 1878)
- John Humphrey - American politician and attorney (1838 to 1914)
- William Humphrey - Cricketer (1843 to 1918)
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.