Surname Alsop - Meaning and Origin

Alsop: What does the surname Alsop mean?

The last name Alsop is an English surname. It means someone who is from a place called Alsop, a settlement in the Derbyshire region. The origin of the place name is uncertain. It may have been derived from the Old English words als, meaning alder tree, and hop, meaning a small valley. This would be a descriptive name for someone who lived in a valley full of alder trees.

The Alsop family probably adopted its surname from this location. Areas of the Midlands, specifically Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Kent, and Derbyshire have ties to the Alsop surname. Early records of the surname date back to the 1300s in England when Adam de Alsop was recorded in the "1301 Subsidy Rolls" of Essex.

Today, Alsop is most common in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is also fairly common in the United States, Australia, and Canada. Alsop is still associated with the Derbyshire area where it originated, but it has spread to other countries as people with the surname Alsop moved around the world in years past.

Alsop: Where does the name Alsop come from?

The last name Alsop is associated primarily with England and Anglo-Saxon cultures. Generally, the name is thought to be a variation of the surname Allsopp and can be traced back to the Saxon word 'alsope', meaning 'holy or blessed'.

Today, the name Alsop is quite common in the United Kingdom, especially in the Midlands (the area between the West Midlands and East Midlands). In other countries, the name is found scattered throughout Europe, North America, and Australia, with particularly high concentrations in Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.

In the United States, the Alsop surname is most common in Washington DC, Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia, California, and New York. Certain states in the Midwest also have a higher concentration of the name, such as Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Though the Alsop surname is sometimes spelled "Allsopp," the two spellings are not necessarily related. The Alsop spelling can also vary depending on the region, meaning that different branches of the Alsop family may have adopted different versions of the surname over time. As such, it is important to take regional variations into account when researching the family name.

Variations of the surname Alsop

The surname Alsop has many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. Some of the most common variants of Alsop include Allsopp, Alsop, Allsoppe, Alsippe, Alsop, Alsipp, Arlsop, Alsup, Allsup, Ollsopp, and Olsopp.

The surname has a few primary spellings as well. Occasionally, Alsop is spelled with an 'e' on the end (Alsope), or with double 'l's (Allsopp). There is also an uncommon variant, Olsopp, which is thought to be an older spelling of the name.

The surname is believed to have derived from Old Norse words and was likely used as an occupational name to refer to a person who lived near an alder tree or alder grove. It may have also been used to describe a person who made buckets from alder wood.

Alsop is mostly found in the United Kingdom, especially in Scotland, England, and Wales. However, variations of it are also found throughout Europe, especially in Germany, Scandinavia, and many Slavic countries. In the United States, variants of this surname are also quite common.

The surname Alsop is also closely related to a few other surnames of the same origin. These include the Scottish surname Alesopp, the English surname Allsopp, and the German surname Altshop. All of these names have similar meanings, and they have all evolved from the same root words.

Famous people with the name Alsop

• Leonard Alsop: A 20th century Canadian physicist who invented the wells-court unstable isotope spectrometer and furthered the advancement of mass spectrometry.
• Leonard Alsop: A composer who worked as Musical Director of the National Symphony Orchestra from 1945 to 1965.
• Joseph Alsop: An American author who wrote on international affairs.
• Stewart Alsop: An American journalist and newspaper columnist.
• Joan Alsop: An American author, philanthropist, and socialite.
• Allyne Alsop: A member of the Alsop family known for her philanthropy and art patronage.
• Vince Alsop: An American actor who starred in the TV series Underdog as the voice of Shoeshine Boy.
• Mark Alsop: An American conductor and professor at the University of South Florida.
• Roger Alsop: An English broadcaster and writer who produced, hosted and presented BBC television programs in the 1950s and 1960s.
• Nicholas Alsop: An English philosopher, journalist, and histologist who wrote extensively on theology and philosophy.

Other surnames

Also these names have been suggested:VincetAlsopp