Contents [hide]

Speed History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Sources

Speed History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Speed family

The surname Speed was first found in Suffolk where in 1185, Godfrey Speed appeared on the Pipe Rolls. 1 Years later, Johannes Sped was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Suffolk. The same rolls also listed Margaret Sped in Cambridgeshire: and Roger Sped in Oxfordshire. 2

The name could have claimed Normandy as the starting point as one source notes that the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Ivo de Spada there in 1185. 3

Other sources claim that it was a nickname as a "reference to the swiftness of the original bearers." 4 And yet another claims the name was "a font-name, wishing prosperity or good-speed to the child." 2

Further to the north in Scotland, Nicholas Speid occupied part of the lands of Cuikstone or Quygstone in Angus, 1410 and Cuthbert Speid was witness in Forfar in the same year. 5

Early History of the Speed family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Speed research. Another 45 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1277, 1551, 1555, 1556, 1578, 1595, 1598, 1629, 1631, 1650, 1682 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Speed History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Speed Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Speed, Spede, Speyde, Speede, Speid and others.

Early Notables of the Speed family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Speed (c. 1551-1629), an English cartographer and historian, best known English mapmaker of the Stuart period. Born in Farndon, Cheshire, he went into the tailoring business of his father, Samuel...
Adolphus Speed (fl. 1650), was an English agricultural writer, "generally known as Adam Speed, claims to have been of gentle birth. On the title-page of his only acknowledged work he signs his name Ad...
Samuel Speed (1631-1682), was English divine, the eldest son of John Speed, M.D. 6

Speed Ranking

In the United States, the name Speed is the 4,015^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 7

Speed migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Speed Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Speed, who arrived in Virginia in 1633 8
John Speed, who landed in Maryland in 1637 8
John Speed, who settled in Maryland in 1637
Robert Speed, who arrived in Virginia in 1649 8
Peter Speed, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Speed Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Speed, who settled in Virginia in 1703
Alexander Speed, who settled in Virginia in 1714
Jane Speed, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 8

Speed Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Speed, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 8

Speed migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Speed Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Mrs. Speed, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
F Speed, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Speed migration to Australia +

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

Speed Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William John Speed, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Samuel Speed who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. William Speed, English convict who was convicted in Flint, Flintshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Martha Speed, aged 43, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Norman"
Martha Speed, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Norman"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Speed 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:

Speed Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Speed, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1844

Speed 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. 12

Speed Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Richard Speed, who settled in Barbados in 1635
Richard Speed, aged 35, who landed in Barbados in 1635 8
Mr. Richard Speed, (b. 1600), aged 35, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Speed (post 1700) +

Lake Chambers Speed (b. 1948), American former NASCAR driver
Joshua Fry Speed (1814-1882), American businessman and close friend of Abraham Lincoln, Kentucky State Representative (1848-1850)
James S. Speed (1811-1860), American politician, 9th Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky
James Breckenridge Speed (1844-1912), American businessman in Louisville, Kentucky and philanthropist
James Speed (1812-1887), American lawyer, politician and professor, 27th United States Attorney General (1864-1866)
Horace Speed III (b. 1951), American Major League Baseball player who played three seasons for the San Francisco Giants and the Cleveland Indians (1975) and (1978-1979)
Chris Speed (b. 1967), American saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer
Scott Andrew Speed (b. 1983), American race car driver
Lucy Speed (b. 1976), English actress, best known for her television roles as Natalie Evans in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders
Harold Speed (1872-1957), English oil painter watercolour artist
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm