Upchurch
A locational surname from Upchurch in Kent, originally meaning someone who came from the “upper” or “high” church place.
The #3,587 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,117 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is generally explained as a locational name from Upchurch in Kent. Harrison glosses the place-name as from Old English "up" plus "cirice" (church), giving the sense of an "upper" or "high" church. The place is recorded in medieval forms such as Upcherche, and the surname simply identified someone who came from that village.
History
The name appears in English records as a local surname, and later spellings include forms like Upcher. Bardsley also connects some similar surnames with nearby Essex place-names, but for Upchurch itself the Kent origin is the clearest explanation. The surname is still most strongly associated with England and later appears in the United States through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The village name behind the surname was already being written in medieval Latinized and Anglo-Norman spellings centuries ago, including Upcherche.
From the historical record
“UPCHER, V. Upsher. UPCHURCH (Eng.) Bel. to Upchurch ; or Dweller at the Upper or High Church [O.E. Up + cirice] Upchurch, Kent, was Upcherche in the 13th cent. UPCOTT (Eng.) Bel. toUpcott, I3th-I4thcent.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)