Shoaf Early Origins
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Shoaf include Scholes, Scholl, Scholles, Schoall, Schoalles, Scole, Scoles, Scoyles, Scoyle, Scayle, Scayles, Schoales and many more.First found in Yorkshire where the name is associated with the village of Scholes in the parish of Barwick which is about nine miles from Leeds, in the West Riding of that county. In 1086 this parish was held by Ilbert de Lacy, and was the site of 3 Churches and 3 mills, today there are still the remains of a bailey, a moat, and a Saxon cross.
Source: An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 – 2013
Shoaf Name Meaning
Possibly an Americanized form of German Schauf(f), from the Swabian for ‘sheep’, hence probably a metonymic occupational name for a shepherd or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a sheep in some way. Compare Shoaff. IGI inconclusive; AB says not Jewish; HB, kh.
With regard to the surname Schoff, the appellation was derived from the Bavarian dialect word “anschaffen”, a verb meaning “to command”. According to Dr. Max Gottschald, the original bearer of the name would have been a government administrator, a foreman or superintendent in a mine or workshop, or one of the directors of a trade or craft guild.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press via Ancestry.com
Shoaf Family Crest and Name History
Where did the English Shoaf family come from? What is the English Shoaf family crest and coat of arms? When did the Shoaf family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Shoaf family history?
The origins of the Shoaf name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Shoaf was originally derived from a family having lived in the village of Scholes in the parish of Barwick in the West Riding of Yorkshire. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 Scholes was the site of three churches and three mills.
Source: An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 – 2013