The name Drive is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a person who drove a herd of livestock such as cattle or sheep from one place to another; such a person was called a drover. The surname Drive is derived from the Old English word draf, which means drove or herd.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drive research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Drive History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Drive Spelling Variations
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Drive include Drover, Drovere, Droves, Drove and others.
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Early Notables of the Drive family
More information is included under the topic Early Drive Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Drive family
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Drive were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Thomas Drove settled in Virginia in 1651. In Newfoundland, William Drover settled in Upper Island Cove in 1763; Thomas Drover settled in Harbour Grace in 1822.
