Belknap (surname)
Encyclopedia
Belknap or Belnap is a surname
of Norman
origin from England
that may come from the Anglo-Norman
words "belle," meaning beautiful, and "knap," meaning the crest or summit of a small hill. Although today the "k" in Belknap is silent
as in the words "knight" or "knee," it is evident from documents dating from the Middle English
period that it was originally pronounced as a hard "k." The surname is believed to be somewhat unique, not only due to its relative infrequency but also because all known Belknaps or Belnaps living today are thought to descend from one man, Abraham Belknap (formerly known as Beltoft), who migrated from Sawbridgeworth
, Hertfordshire
, England to Lynn, Massachusetts
about 1635. The surname continued in England for several centuries through other branches of the family but eventually died out
in its country of origin in the early 20th century. Today, a wide variety of locations and institutions are named Belknap or Belnap, all of which are believed to be connected in some manner to this early Puritan
emigrant to America. Places named Belknap or Belnap include over 130 streets, approximately 20 towns, and 1 U.S. county
. Natural features named Belknap range from a nunatak
near the South Pole
in Antarctica, to a Canadian cape near the North Pole
, to a seamount
beneath the Pacific Ocean
between California
and Hawaii
, to a tiny rocky island in Indonesia
in Southeast Asia
.
, the earliest known confirmed documentary reference to "Belknap" (or one of its many early alternative forms of spelling) is to John (sometimes referred to with the noble preposition "de"), who first appears in Wiltshire
in 1327. He later moved to London
about the time the Black Death
appeared in England. John was the father of Sir Robert Belknap
, who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas
of England from 1377 to 1388. The early Belknaps married into a number of notable English families, including, among others, the families of Darset, Phelipp, Stonor, Hampden, Boteler, Beauchamp
, Sudeley, Avenel, Kymbell, Knollys
, Ferrers
, Finche, Cooke, Hende, Wotton, Danett, Shelley, Carryll, Scott, and Bishop. Sir Robert's direct descendants include many notable persons, including William Shakespeare
, Lady Jane Grey
, Sir Francis Bacon
, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
(through 2 known lines), Princess Diana (through 3 known lines), and England's current reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II (through 6 known lines).
The surname Belknap, as carried through descendants of Sir Robert, appears to have died out with Sir Robert's great grandson, Sir Edward Belknap
(about 1471-1521). However, several other males surnamed Belknap, whose connections to Sir Robert are at present unknown, were contemporaries of Sir Robert's family during the 15th and 16th Centuries. The Belknap surname may have continued through one of these other contemporaneous Belknaps through the Beltoft family of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire ("Beltoft" may be an Anglo-Saxon etymological derivative of the Anglo-Norman surname "Belknap," as one definition of "toft" is knoll; the Beltofts of Hertfordshire do not seem to have any connection to the 14th Century Beltoft family of Lincolnshire
), who resided near several of the early manors of the early Belknaps and suddenly assumed or resumed using the surname Belknap in the late 1500s-early 1600s, not long before Abraham Belknap emigrated to Massachusetts in the 1630s.
Various of the surname Belknap include Belnap, Bellnap, Belknappe, etc. Most persons who today spell the surname "Belnap" appear to descend from Jesse Belnap (1760-1854), American Revolution
ary War soldier. He was the grandfather of Gilbert Belnap
.
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
of Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
origin from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
that may come from the Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
words "belle," meaning beautiful, and "knap," meaning the crest or summit of a small hill. Although today the "k" in Belknap is silent
Silent k
A silent ⟨k⟩ occurs when the letter ⟨k⟩ occurs in a word but does not actually reflect the pronunciation of a voiceless velar plosive , or any sound for that matter. A silent ⟨k⟩ is quite common in the English language, most often preceding an ⟨n⟩ at the beginning of a word...
as in the words "knight" or "knee," it is evident from documents dating from the Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
period that it was originally pronounced as a hard "k." The surname is believed to be somewhat unique, not only due to its relative infrequency but also because all known Belknaps or Belnaps living today are thought to descend from one man, Abraham Belknap (formerly known as Beltoft), who migrated from Sawbridgeworth
Sawbridgeworth
Sawbridgeworth is a small, mainly residential, town and also a civil parish in Hertfordshire, England.- Location :Sawbridgeworth is four miles south of Bishop's Stortford, twelve miles east of Hertford and nine miles north of Epping. It lies on the A1184 and has a railway station that links to...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England to Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
about 1635. The surname continued in England for several centuries through other branches of the family but eventually died out
Galton-Watson process
The Galton–Watson process is a branching stochastic process arising from Francis Galton's statistical investigation of the extinction of family names.There was concern amongst the Victorians that aristocratic surnames were becoming extinct...
in its country of origin in the early 20th century. Today, a wide variety of locations and institutions are named Belknap or Belnap, all of which are believed to be connected in some manner to this early Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
emigrant to America. Places named Belknap or Belnap include over 130 streets, approximately 20 towns, and 1 U.S. county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
. Natural features named Belknap range from a nunatak
Nunatak
A nunatak is an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within an ice field or glacier. The term is typically used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present...
near the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
in Antarctica, to a Canadian cape near the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, to a seamount
Seamount
A seamount is a mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface , and thus is not an island. These are typically formed from extinct volcanoes, that rise abruptly and are usually found rising from a seafloor of depth. They are defined by oceanographers as...
beneath the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
between California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, to a tiny rocky island in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
Surname Origins
Although the surname appears on various versions of the Battle Abbey RollBattle Abbey Roll
The Battle Abbey Roll is supposed to have been a list, lost since at least the 16th.c., of the Companions of William the Conqueror, which had been erected or affixed as a memorial within Battle Abbey, Hastings, founded by William ex-voto on the spot of the slaying of Harold in the Battle of...
, the earliest known confirmed documentary reference to "Belknap" (or one of its many early alternative forms of spelling) is to John (sometimes referred to with the noble preposition "de"), who first appears in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
in 1327. He later moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
about the time the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
appeared in England. John was the father of Sir Robert Belknap
Robert Bealknap
His Worship Sir Robert Bealknap JP was a British justice. He is first mentioned in June 1351 in a papal register of indults issued to inhabitants of Great Britain, where he is called a "clerk, of the diocese of Salisbury" in Wiltshire. He next appears in 1353 as a member of a commission to...
, who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas
Court of Common Pleas (England)
The Court of Common Pleas, or Common Bench, was a common law court in the English legal system that covered "common pleas"; actions between subject and subject, which did not concern the king. Created in the late 12th to early 13th century after splitting from the Exchequer of Pleas, the Common...
of England from 1377 to 1388. The early Belknaps married into a number of notable English families, including, among others, the families of Darset, Phelipp, Stonor, Hampden, Boteler, Beauchamp
Baron Beauchamp
The titles Baron Beauchamp and Viscount Beauchamp have been created several times throughout English and British history. There is still an extant Viscountcy of Beauchamp, held by the Marquesses of Hertford.-Beauchamp family:...
, Sudeley, Avenel, Kymbell, Knollys
Knollys (family)
Knollys, the name of an English family descended from Sir Thomas Knollys , Lord Mayor of London. The first distinguished member of the family was Sir Francis Knollys , English statesman, son of Sir Robert Knollys, or Knolles , a courtier in the service and favour of Henry VII and Henry VIII...
, Ferrers
Baron Ferrers of Chartley
The title Baron Ferrers of Chartley was created on February 6, 1299 for John de Ferrers, son of Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby. The daughter of the 6th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, Anne, married Walter Devereux who was summoned to parliament as Lord Ferrers in her right. Their descendants...
, Finche, Cooke, Hende, Wotton, Danett, Shelley, Carryll, Scott, and Bishop. Sir Robert's direct descendants include many notable persons, including William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
, Sir Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
(through 2 known lines), Princess Diana (through 3 known lines), and England's current reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II (through 6 known lines).
The surname Belknap, as carried through descendants of Sir Robert, appears to have died out with Sir Robert's great grandson, Sir Edward Belknap
Edward Belknap
Sir Edward Belknap was active in the service of the English crown, both on the battlefield and as a court official, during the 16th and 17th centuries....
(about 1471-1521). However, several other males surnamed Belknap, whose connections to Sir Robert are at present unknown, were contemporaries of Sir Robert's family during the 15th and 16th Centuries. The Belknap surname may have continued through one of these other contemporaneous Belknaps through the Beltoft family of Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire ("Beltoft" may be an Anglo-Saxon etymological derivative of the Anglo-Norman surname "Belknap," as one definition of "toft" is knoll; the Beltofts of Hertfordshire do not seem to have any connection to the 14th Century Beltoft family of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
), who resided near several of the early manors of the early Belknaps and suddenly assumed or resumed using the surname Belknap in the late 1500s-early 1600s, not long before Abraham Belknap emigrated to Massachusetts in the 1630s.
Various of the surname Belknap include Belnap, Bellnap, Belknappe, etc. Most persons who today spell the surname "Belnap" appear to descend from Jesse Belnap (1760-1854), American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
ary War soldier. He was the grandfather of Gilbert Belnap
Gilbert Belnap
Gilbert Belnap was a Mormon pioneer, LDS Church leader, and an early colonizer of Ogden, Utah, Fort Lemhi, Idaho and Hooper, Utah.-Biography:...
.
People
- Anna BelknapAnna BelknapAnna Belknap is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Detective Lindsay Monroe on CSI: NY.-Personal life:...
(1972-living), American actress - Arias G. BelnapArias G. BelnapArias Guy Belnap was a Utah politician and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.-Biography:...
(1893–1974, Utah politician and LDS Church leader - Charles E. BelknapCharles E. BelknapCharles Eugene Belknap was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Belknap was born in Massena, New York and attended the common schools there...
(1846–1929), United States Army Civil War officer and politician from Michigan - Daniel BelknapDaniel BelknapDaniel Belknap was a farmer, mechanic, militia captain, poet and singing teacher.Belknap was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, and was one of the first American composers. He compiled four sacred tunebooks in the years 1797-1806, and also issued a book of secular songs with music...
(1771–1815), early American composer - David F. BelnapDavid F. BelnapDavid Foster Belnap was an American journalist and foreign correspondent in Latin America from 1955 to 1980 who won a 1970 Overseas Press Club award for his reporting....
(1922–2009), prize-winning American foreign correspondent - Sir Edward BelknapEdward BelknapSir Edward Belknap was active in the service of the English crown, both on the battlefield and as a court official, during the 16th and 17th centuries....
(about 1471-1521), Privy Councillor for Henry VIIHenry VII of EnglandHenry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
and Henry VIIIHenry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France... - George BelknapGeorge BelknapRear Admiral George Eugene Belknap was an officer in the United States Navy. USS Belknap was named for him....
(1832–1903), United States Navy Rear Admiral - Gilbert BelnapGilbert BelnapGilbert Belnap was a Mormon pioneer, LDS Church leader, and an early colonizer of Ogden, Utah, Fort Lemhi, Idaho and Hooper, Utah.-Biography:...
(1821–1899), early LDS Church leader and colonizer - Hugh R. BelknapHugh R. BelknapHugh Reid Belknap was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.Born in Keokuk, Iowa, Belknap attended the public schools, Adams Academy, Quincy, Massachusetts, and Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts. At the age of eighteen he entered the service of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co...
(1860–1901), United States Representative from Illinois - Jayne Belnap, noted biological soil crust scientist and author
- Jeremy BelknapJeremy BelknapJeremy Belknap was an American clergyman and historian. His great achievement was the "History of New Hampshire", published in three volumes between 1784 and 1792. This work is the first modern history written by an American, embodying a new rigor in research, annotation, and reporting.Jeremy was...
(1744–1798), American clergyman and historian - Nuel D. Belnap, Jr.Nuel BelnapNuel D. Belnap, Jr. is an American logician and philosopher who has made many important contributions to the philosophy of logic, temporal logic, and structural proof theory. He has taught at the University of Pittsburgh since 1961; before that he was at Yale University. His best known work is...
(1930-living), American logician and philosopher - Reginald Rowan Belknap (1871–1959), United States Navy Rear Admiral
- Sir Robert BelknapRobert BealknapHis Worship Sir Robert Bealknap JP was a British justice. He is first mentioned in June 1351 in a papal register of indults issued to inhabitants of Great Britain, where he is called a "clerk, of the diocese of Salisbury" in Wiltshire. He next appears in 1353 as a member of a commission to...
(about 1330-1401), Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas of England - Sarah Yancy Belknap, a New York librarian and founder of the Belknap Collection of the Performing Arts
- Tim Belknap (1958-), professional bodybuilder and 1981 AAU Mr. AmericaAAU Mr. AmericaAAU Mr. America was a bodybuilding competition started by the Amateur Athletic Union . It was first held on 4 July 1939 and the winner was named "America's Best Built Man". In 1940 this was changed to what is now known as the Mr. America contest....
- William G. BelknapWilliam G. BelknapWilliam Goldsmith Belknap , a career soldier in the United States Army, was brevetted three times for service in three wars, served as brigadier general, and served as commandant at Fort Gibson, Fort Washita, and Fort Smith.Belknap was born in Newburgh, New York to Samuel Belknap and Mary Goldsmith...
(1794–1851), United States Brigadier General - William W. BelknapWilliam W. BelknapWilliam Worth Belknap was a United States Army general, government administrator, and United States Secretary of War. He was the only Cabinet secretary ever to have been impeached by the United States House of Representatives.-Birth and early years:Born in Newburgh, New York to career soldier...
(1829–1890), Iowa State Representative and United States Secretary of War - Zedekiah Belknap (1781–1858), American folk art portraitist