Shipper

The surname Shipper has its origins in England, and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "scipere," which referred to someone who transported goods or merchandise by ship or boat. The name would have initially been given as an occupational surname to someone whose profession was that of a sailor or shipping merchant.

In its earliest recorded form, the name appeared as "le Shipper" in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. This indicates that the name was already well-established by that time. Variations in spelling were common in those days, and other early spellings included Shippere, Shyppar, and Shippare.

The Shipper surname is also found in some of the earliest surviving records of England, such as the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1176, where a Walter le Shippere is mentioned. This suggests that the name may have originated in that region or nearby areas.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Shipper, who was born in Yorkshire around 1490. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Shipper, a merchant and alderman of London, who lived from 1570 to 1633.

In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing Shippers living in places like Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. For example, a William Shipper was born in Oxfordshire in 1583.

The name Shipper can also be found in some of the earliest settlement records of the American colonies. One of the first recorded instances is that of Thomas Shipper, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 from England.

Other notable people with the surname Shipper include Sir Edward Shipper (1621-1687), a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London, and John Shipper (1671-1744), an English cartographer and surveyor who produced some of the earliest detailed maps of parts of North America.

These are just a few examples of the long and storied history of the Shipper surname, which has its roots in the seafaring and shipping trades of medieval England.