SHARPE
Sharpe is a surname of English provenance that derives from the Old English word scearp, meaning “sharp.” It was initially employed as a nickname for a person who possessed sharp wit, keen intelligence or a keenness of perception. The term evolved through the Middle English scharp and entered the surname ledger as a complimentary slur indicating these attributes.
Early documentary evidence for the name appears to date back to the early eleventh century, with the first recorded spelling Scearpa belonging to Healethegn Scearpa in the 1026 entry of the “Olde English Bynames of Kent” during the reign of King Canute. In subsequent centuries the spelling varied, as seen in the 1184 Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire where an Ailmer Scharp is listed, and in the 1296 Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, London, where an Alan Sharp is recorded.
By the sixteenth century the name had become well established throughout the British Isles. Church registers provide additional examples such as the 1564 marriage of Danis Sharp to Joane Paynter in Harrow on the Hill, and the 1585 union of Ambrose Sharpe with Elizabeth Neele at St. Katherine by the Tower. These records demonstrate the continued use of the surname in a variety of spellings, all pointing to the same root.
The reach of the name extended beyond the island with the migration of individuals to the New World, most notably a Mary Sharpe who was granted a ticket to sail in the vessel “Recovery” bound for Jamaica on 31 December 1679, her departure from Barbados being recorded in the same year.
Throughout history the surname has conferred an association with intellectual sharpness and alertness, qualities that have resonated within families that have carried it. In the modern era, bearers of the name can be found in many countries worldwide, often with variations in spelling that trace back to the original English nickname. The enduring legacy of the name Sharpe thus lies in its historical roots and the continuity of its distinctive meaning across generations.
Typical given names associated with the Sharpe surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Charp
- Charpe
- Sarpe
- Scarpe
- Scharfe
- Scharp
- Scharpe
- Scharpf
- Schaupp
- Shair
- Shaire
- Shairp
- Shar
- Sharde
- Share
- Sharee
- Shareef
- Sharef
- Sharek
- Shares
- Sharey
- Sharf
- Sharfe
- Sharie
- Sharief
- Sharife
- Sharke
- Sharme
- Sharp
- Sharpell
- Sharpels
- Sharpen
- Sharper
- Sharpes
- Sharpey
- Sharpies
- Sharple
- Sharples
- Sharpley
- Sharpls
- Sharps
- Sharpus
- Sharpy
- Shars
- Sharvey
- Shaue
- Shawe
- Sheare
- Sheares
- Sherp
- Sherpa
- Sherpe
- Shirp
- Shoare
- Shorp
- Shorpe
- Shurp
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Sharpe in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Sharpe are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Dark Chocolate Digestive.
There are approximately 19,896 people named Sharpe in the UK. That makes it the 432nd most common surname in Britain. Around 306 in a million people in Britain are named Sharpe.
Surname type: Nickname
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Sharpe
- Shannon Sharpe - Player of American football
- Will Sharpe - Japanese-English actor, writer, and director
- Lee Sharpe - Football player
- Tyler-Justin Anthony Sharpe - American rapper and singer
- Tom Sharpe - Satirical novelist (1928 to 2013)
- Sterling Sharpe - American football wide receiver
- David Sharpe - Football club chairman
- Bill Sharpe - Musician
- Phil Sharpe - Test and County cricketer, Test selector (1936 to 2014)
- Kevin Sharpe - Historian (1949 to 2011)
- Ella Freeman Sharpe - Teacher & psycholanalyst (1875 to 1947)
- Charles Richard Sharpe - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1889 to 1963)
- Rhys Sharpe - Northern Irish football player
- Alfred Sharpe - Commissioner and Consul-General for the British Central Africa Protectorate and first Governor of Ny (1853 to 1935)
- Edmund Sharpe - Architect and engineer (1809 to 1877)
- Ivan Sharpe - Football player (1889 to 1968)
- Richard Sharpe - Football player
- Peter Sharpe - Cricketer
- Thomas Sharpe - Flying ace
- Jack Sharpe - Football player (1866 to 1936)
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.