Hefer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Hefer family

The surname Hefer was first found in Kent at Hever, a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District. The village dates back to the Saxon Chronicle where it was listed as Heanfre in 814. Literally the place name means "high edge." 1 The name Hefer could have been a derivative of the Middle English word "heve" meaning 'to lift, raise', denoting a porter, carrier. 2

Nearby, Hever Castle was originally a country house built in the 13th century. Anne Boleyn, the second queen consort of King Henry VIII of England, spent her early youth there. The castle survived over the years and is now a tourist attraction. One of the first listing of the family was found in Sussex in the 13th century.

"The family of Heaver takes its name from the Kentish parish of Hever." 3

Early History of the Hefer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hefer research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1194, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1562 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Hefer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hefer Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hefer has been recorded under many different variations, including Hever, Heaver, Hefer, Heafer, Hepher, Ever, Eever and many more.

Early Notables of the Hefer family

More information is included under the topic Early Hefer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hefer migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hefer or a variant listed above:

Hefer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Conrad Hefer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 4
Johannes Georg Hefer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1767 4

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)