The Frost Family Name History

(The following information was provided by The Historical Research Center, for a fee.)

The English surname Frost is of nickname origin, being one of those names derived from a personal or physical characteristic of the original bearer. In this instance, the name is traceable to the Old English term "forst"* meaning "frost" and it would have been used to describe one whose white hair and beard gave them the appearance of being covered with frost. Before the advent of the hereditary surname system, it was common practice to use a man's characteristic as a convenient means of identification.

References to this name in written records occur as early as the eleventh century, when the "Domesday Book" for 1086 makes mention of one Aluuin Forst. Later, the "Feudal Documents from the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds" note a Lefstan Frost residing in Suffolk in 1095. The surname was established in America at an early date. It is documented that one William Frost, born in Binsted, Hampshire, England, sailed with his father John, bound for the New World in 1635. He later settled in Boston, Massachusetts.

The historical motto of the Frost surname is:

E terra ad coelum. (From earth to heaven.)

* Ed. note. This may be true, however this is not the whole, or only scenario. There are only two languages in Europe and Scandinavia that use the spelling "frost" in ancient form: English and Dansk (Danish). The word has the same meaning in both languages. Frost is also a surname in Danmark, and has the same descriptive roots (particularly white hair and beard). The surname Frost is believed to be in use in Danmark at least as early as the fifth century. My Dansk contacts believe that the Frost name was brought to England in approximately the eighth century "during a period of resettlement", known to the English as the Viking Invasions!

It should also be noted that the "spelling" of frost as forst was not really a different spelling. It was common during the middle ages, particularly in England, to intentionally misspell certain words. It is not clear if this was for some sort of embellishment or a means of intentional confusion to mislead and/or test peasants who were not supposed to be able to read or write. Probably both. At any rate, the spelling frost precedes and succeeds this time, so it is likely that the correct spelling was always frost.

One final note. We can trace our lineage to Edmund Frost who came to America on either the Great Hope or the Defense in 1635. I do not have full documentation yet, but it appears that he sailed from Southampton, Suffolk, England. The Frost's at one time were either one of, or THE land owners in Southampton, and specifically our lineage (Edmund and his father John) were clerics. At that time, entering the clergy required coming from a wealthy family, and generally meant you were NOT the eldest son! It appears that Edmund had to leave England after dissenting with the Church of England - leaving under a false identity! At any rate, I like these turns of fate, since I was born in Suffolk County in New York, where there is a town called South Hampton (I never lived there).

So, heard more than you ever wanted to about the name Frost yet?