As described in historical dictionaries

Patronymica Britannica (1860)

QUAIFE. The family seem always to have been principally resident in EastSussex, and West Kent. Until within the last 150 years, the name has been spelt Coyf, and Coyfe, and tradition says, that the ancestor of the family came into England witli the Conqueror, and that, at the Battle of Hastings, he wore a hood instead of a helmet ; loide nomen. It is worthy of notice, that the name Caperoun, the Old French for a hood, is found in the Roll of Battel Abbey, and also that the family have long resided near Battel, the scene of the exploits of the presumed founder of the name.

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.


Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

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