TEMPEST
Tempest is an English surname that originally denoted a person who lived near a place characterised by violent weather or who possessed a tempestuous temperament. The name derives from the Middle English word tempest, which itself was borrowed from Old French tempeste, meaning a violent storm.
The surname is therefore both a topographic or locational epithet and, in some instances, a descriptive nickname. Historical records show that it was sometimes applied to individuals who displayed a blustery or volatile disposition, suggesting a metaphorical identification with the stormy qualities of the name.
The earliest documented use of the name occurs in the early twelfth century. A Roger Tempeste is recorded as a land holder and witness in the 1120 documents of Skipton in Craven, Yorkshire, during the reign of King Henry I. Later, the surname appears in Yorkshire records such as the 1222 Pipe Rolls, where a Richard Tempest is noted, and the 1379 Poll Tax Returns, which list an Isabella Tempest.
In the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries the surname is associated with a number of educated and cultural figures. For example, a John Tempest is entered in the Oxford University Register of 1579, and the philosopher Pierce Tempest (1635‑1717) published the work Cries of the City of London in 1711. The 1758 marriage of Henry Tempest of Broughton, Yorkshire, to Eleanor Jones at St. George’s Church, Hanover Square, London, is another early documented instance of the family name.
In contemporary times the surname remains most common in the United Kingdom. The current electoral roll records more than eight hundred sixties individuals named Tempest in London alone. Outside the capital, the name is sparsely represented in northern counties such as Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire, where numbers range from a few dozen to a few dozen per county. The surname also appears, in considerably smaller numbers, across Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and mainland Europe, particularly France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy. Significant diaspora communities exist in the United States— especially in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles— and in Australia and Canada.
Variations of the spelling of Tempest have arisen over time, reflecting regional pronunciation and orthographic practices. Common historic variants include Tempost, Tempeste, Temptest and Tempeest. Other recorded forms are Temprist, Tempist and Temptest. Less frequent spellings, such as Tempering or Tempster, also appear in archival documents. In North America a particular variant— Tempester— has been observed with relative frequency. These variants illustrate the fluidity of surname orthography before the advent of modern registration systems.
Typical given names associated with the Tempest surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Hilary
- Jane
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- 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 Tempest in...
Braille
⠞⠑⠍⠏⠑⠎⠞
Morse
-.--.--.....-
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,031 people named Tempest in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,163rd most common surname in Britain. Around 31 in a million people in Britain are named Tempest.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Tempest
- Kate Tempest - Poet, spoken word artist and playwright
- Edith Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry - Noble (1878 to 1959)
- Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry - Politician (1878 to 1949)
- Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry - Anglo-Irish peer and politician (1902 to 1955)
- Alistair Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 9th Marquess of Londonderry - Anglo-Irish nobleman (1937 to 2012)
- Dale Tempest - Hong Kong football player
- William Tempest - Fashion designer
- Greg Tempest - Football player
- Annie Tempest - Cartoonist
- Doreen Patricia Vane-Tempest-Stewart - Prima ballerina
- Billy Tempest - Football player (1893 to 1945)
- Wulstan Tempest - (1891 to 1)
- Edmund Tempest - Flying ace (1894 to 1921)
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.