West Coat of Arms, Family Crest and West Family History

West Family History

The ancient origin of the name West was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. West is a locality name meaning 'man from the west', from a person who migrated from the west. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout these countries. Examples of such are an Algar West, County Oxfordshire, and a Albricius West, County Cambridgeshire, who were recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273. A Robert del West was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the year 1379. A Joane Weste was buried at Saint James, Clerkenwell, in the year 1615 and a Richard Weste was registered in the University of Oxford in the year 1575. In Scotland the name is popular in Gamrie, Perthshire and Lothian. The name in Ireland is found throughout the four Provinces and especially in Ulster having been introduced there from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century.The West 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 West descendants.