This interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a topographical name for a dweller by an aspen tree or trees, derived from the Old English pre 7th century "aespen", aspen (tree), trembling poplar. Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names. The surname development since 1560 (see below) includes the following: Jennetta Ashpine (1616, Lancashire), Ann Aspen (1686, Lancashire), James Asping (1726, Yorkshire) and Eleas Aspeane (1759, Lancashire).
The modern surname can be found as Aspin, Aspen, Aspyn and Asping and is very common throughout England. Among the recordings in London are the marriages of Robert Aspin and Ann Paine on November 5th 1656 at St. Mary Abbots, Kensington, and of Thomas Aspin and Mary Badger on June 21st 1697 at St. Margaret's, Westminster. The christening was recorded in Lancashire of David, son of Benjamin and Jane Aspin, on March 9th 1783 at St. Peter's, Bolton. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Annes Aspyn (marriage to Umfray Steven), which was dated November 16th 1560, St. Andrew's, Enfield, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname aspin is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation. Adhering to what we know about the way surnames originated, it is possible to offer a realistic explanation of the origins of aspin.
The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname aspin provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.
For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname aspin, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of aspin developed. In the following lines, you will find everything we have been able to gather about the surname aspin.
We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about aspin and send it to us, we will update it on this website.
Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname aspin were recorded by the chroniclers of the time. If you or someone you know bears the surname aspin, you could potentially build illustrious lineages through your efforts and virtues. It is our desire to highlight in this section those individuals with the surname aspin who, for various reasons, have left their mark on the course of history.
The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of aspin are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation. Accessing the archives of the town or towns where your ancestors were born and lived is, of course, a good way to trace the origins of aspin.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of aspin, and at the same time, of surnames in general.