Newport History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Newport

What does the name Newport mean?

The Newport surname is a habitational name taken on from any of several places so called, derived the Old English words "ne-owe," meaning "new," and "port," meaning "a port." 1

There are no fewer than five parishes named Newport throughout England with Essex and Devon as the most likely origin of the family. 2 The oldest is Newport, Essex which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Neuport. 3

"The name of Newport, I.W., was Latinized both as Novus Portus and Novus Burgus; Newport, Salop, was called Novus Burgus (de Novo Burgo) in its charter by Henry I; Newport, Monmouth, was called Novus Burgus by Giraldus Cambrensis in order to distinguish it from Caerleon." 4

Newport, Monmouthshire was "called by Giraldus Novus Burgus, or New Town, in contradistinction to the ancient city of Caerleon, [and] arose out of the declining greatness of that celebrated station. Here Robert, Earl of Gloucester, natural son of Henry I., erected a castle for the defence of his possessions, denominated Castell Newydd, or New Castle: from him it descended through several noble families, till, on the execution of Edward, Duke of Buckingham, it was seized, together with the lordship, by Henry VIII." 5

Early Origins of the Newport family

The surname Newport was first found in Essex at Newport, a parish, and formerly a market-town, in the union of Saffron-Walden, hundred of Uttlesford. "This manor, in the time of Edward the Confessor, belonged to Earl Harold, and afterwards, forming part of the demesnes of William the Conqueror, continued in the possession of the crown till the reign of Edward VI., when it was granted, as parcel of the duchy of Cornwall, to Richard Fermor." 5

Ailwin de Niweport was the first on record. He was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Essex in 1177. Later, Nicholas Neuport was listed in Devon in 1359. 6

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had three listings of the family, all with the same spelling that was prevalent at that time: William de Neuport, Buckinghamshire; Gernega de Neuport, Lincolnshire; and Maurice de Neuport, Lincolnshire. 2

Early History of the Newport family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newport research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1511, 1547, 1551, 1552, 1555, 1557, 1558, 1561, 1568, 1569, 1570, 1574, 1580, 1587, 1593, 1604, 1606, 1614, 1617, 1622, 1623, 1651, 1654, 1655, 1683, 1699, 1719, 1734 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Newport History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newport Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Newport include Newport, Newports and others.

Early Notables of the Newport family

Notables of the family at this time include

Christopher Newport (1561-1617), English privateer and sea captain who commanded the Virginia Company's First Fleet (1606)
Richard Newport (c.1511-1570), an English politician, Member of the Parliament of England for Shropshire in 1547, High Sheriff of Shropshire (1551-1552), (1557-1558) and (1568-1569)
Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport (1587-1651), an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for Shropshire in 1614
Thomas Newport, 1st Baron Torrington PC (c.1655-1719), an English peer, barrister and Whig politician

Newport Ranking

In the United States, the name Newport is the 5,299^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Newport family to Ireland

Some of the Newport family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newport migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Newport or a variant listed above:

Newport Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Christopher Newport, who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610. 8
John Newport, who settled in Virginia in 1648
William Newport, who landed in Maryland in 1670 8

Newport Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Newport, who settled in Virginia in 1725
John Newport, who landed in America in 1760-1763 8

Newport Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Newport, who arrived in New York, NY in 1813 8
Richard Newport, who arrived in New York in 1846 8

Newport migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Newport Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Newport, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Newport migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Newport Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Newport, (b. 1788), aged 25, Irish shop keeper who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Catherine" on 8th December 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
George Newport, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. John Newport, (b. 1772), aged 47, English farm labourer who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died 1849 11
William Newport, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 12
Ann Newport, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 12

Newport migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Newport Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Joseph Newport, aged 36, a mason, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
Mary Newport, aged 25, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
Walter Newport, aged 13, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
Jesse Newport, aged 3, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
Owen Newport, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Newport migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Newport Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Newport, who settled in Barbados in 1678 with his wife and child

Contemporary Notables of the name Newport (post 1700) +

Eugene "Gus" Newport (1935-2023), American politician, Mayor of Berkeley, California, from 1979 to 1986
Elissa L. Newport, American Professor of Neurology at Georgetown University
Alex Newport (b. 1970), American Grammy-nominated record producer, mixer and engineer
John E. Newport, American politician, U.S. Consul in Turks Island, 1861-66 14
Jim Newport, American Republican politician, Member of Oklahoma State House of Representatives 37th District; Elected 2002 14
Gus Newport, American politician, Mayor of Berkeley, California, 1979-86 14
George Bernard Newport (1876-1953), English first-class cricketer for Somerset in 1902 and 1904
George Newport (1803-1854), prominent English entomologist, President of the Entomological Society of London 1843-1844
Philip John "Phil" Newport (b. 1962), English cricketer who played from 1982 to 1993, he played in three Tests for England between 1988 and 1991
Stephen Newport (b. 1965), Australian rules footballer who played from 1985 to 1993

Historic Events for the Newport family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. William Newport, English Smoke room Steward from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 15

The Newport Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ne supra modum sapere
Motto Translation: Be not over wise.

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records of Australia (Retreived 2nd January 2021, retreived from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/catherine
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MOFFATT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Moffatt.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/