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Upshaw Surname Meaning & Origin

What the Upshaw last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.

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Meaning and origin of the Upshaw last name

Meaning of the Upshaw last name: someone living at an upper thicket or wood. Upshaw is a topographic surname for someone living at a higher thicket or small wood, from Old English upp and sceaga. The surname is now mainly found in the southern United States, and Virginia records are a frequent starting point for this last name.

Arms associated with the Upshaw name

Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.

Get your full Upshaw family history

This is only a glimpse of the Upshaw story. The full Upshaw history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Upshaw coat of arms. Get the full Upshaw report.

Upshaw name FAQ

What does the Upshaw name mean?

Someone living at an upper thicket or wood.

Where does the Upshaw surname come from?

It originates in England, and is also found in the United States and Canada.

Is there a Upshaw coat of arms?

Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Upshaw coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.

Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.