Heathcote (surname)
Heathcote is a surname rooted in English topography which literally means "Heath Cottage".[1][2] The location in Derbyshire was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Hedcote", and as "Hethcote" in 1244. The location in Warwickshire appears is written "Hethcot" in the 1196 Feet of Fines for the county.[3] The Anglo-Saxon surname "Heathcote" originates from a hamlet that stands high on the barren hills above Dovedale and Hartington. The place-name refers to a cottage on a heath or wasteland where was found an outlying farm or grange of Grendon Abbey. The said Grendon Abbey was founded in 1133. Some of the earliest references to the grange at Heathcote are found in records of the 1300 and 15th century.[4]
Some variations of the name are "Heathcoat" and "Heathcote".
North America
A close study[by whom?] of immigration records shows that some of the earliest North American immigrants had the surname Heathcote in one of its various forms. These included:
- John Heathcoate arrived in Jamaica in 1685
- Jasper Heathcoat arrived in New England in 1850
- Edward and James Heathcote settled in Virginia in 1721
Britain
In 2008 it was estimated that 4,849 persons living in Great Britain share the Heathcote surname. The same estimation estimated that it is the 2,042nd most common name in Great Britain.[5]
Notable Heathcotes
- Alfred Spencer Heathcote (1832–1912): English recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Andy Heathcote: Awarded Scottish filmmaker
- Caleb Heathcote (1666–1721): Mayor of New York City, Brother of Sir Gilbert Heathcote
- Charles Heathcote (1850–1938): A British architect
- Dorothy Heathcote (1926–2011): Drama educator
- Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet (1652–1733): Lord Mayor of London, Successful English Businessman
- Isobel Heathcote Ph.D.: Professor of Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering at the University of Guelph
- Sir John Heathcote, 2nd Baronet (1689–1759), British Member of Parliament. Son of Sir Gilbert Heathcote
- Jud Heathcote (born 1927), American college basketball coach, won 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
- Sophie Heathcote (1972–2006): Australian actress
- Sir William Heathcote, 1st Baronet, MP
See also
References
- ^ Genealogy and Surnames, William Anderson, Pg. 82. 1865, Digitized by Google June 22, 2006
- ^ Surnames, Bernard Homer Dixon, Pg. 34. 1855, Digitized by Google
- ^ http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Heathcote
- ^ Family Names and Family History, David Hey, 2000, Digitized by Google
- ^ So feminine.co