Heaslip Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Heaslip Family History

Heaslip Family History

The family history of the ancient name Heaslip was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Heaslip include Haslip, Heslip, Heyslip, Hyslop and Heslep. This is a name of locational origin and was taken from the old Norse 'hesli' meaning 'dweller in the hazel valley'. It is usually of Scottish and English origin but also can be found in Ireland since the seventeenth century. In Ireland bearers of the name originally settled in Munster Province but have since become more associated with County Cavan. An early record of the name in the year 1642 refers to a Francis Haslopp who resided in Ballyharaghan Castle in the parish of Ruan, County Clare. In 1672 a Francis Hasclopp of Killeedy in County Limerick was recorded as being a referee in a bounds dispute near O'Brien's Bridge, County Clare. By the nineteenth century many of the name had migrated to COunty Cavan and to the southern part of Ulster Province. The Heaslip family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Heaslip descendants.