Sharp Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Sharp last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Sharp coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Sharp last name
Meaning of the Sharp last name: quick, keen. Sharp began as a nickname for a quick-witted, keen or lively person, from the Old English word for sharp. It is most common in Yorkshire and the north of England, and Sharpe is an equally frequent spelling. A curious detail: in America the name sometimes translates the German Scharf, which means the same thing, so two languages arrived at one nickname. It remains a popular English surname today.
Arms associated with the Sharp name
A curious English detail: younger sons added small marks to their father's arms, so brothers named Sharp could each carry a slightly different shield.
Get your full Sharp family history
This is only a glimpse of the Sharp story. The full Sharp 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 Sharp coat of arms. Get the full Sharp report.
Sharp name FAQ
What does the Sharp name mean?
Quick, keen. Common variants include Sharpe, Sharples, Scharf.
Where does the Sharp surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Sharp coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Sharp coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.