Everist

Recorded in any forms (see below) this very interesting surname, which provided the name for Mount Everest in the Himalyas, is of Norman-French origin. Introduced into England after the famous Conquest of 1066, it is locational from the town of Evreux, in the department of Eure, in the former dukedom of Normandy. The place is so called from having apparently been the capital of the "Eburovices", a Gaulish tribe of the 5th century a.d. This tribal name appears in turn to derive from the river name "Ebura" (now the Eure), which may perhaps be akin to a Celtic word for the yew tree. Locational surnames were developed when former inhabitants of a place moved to another area, usually to seek work, and were best identified by the name of their birthplace. However this explanation hardly applies here. The original name holders were granted lands in England as their payment for taking part in the successful conquest. The surname is one of the earliest recorded and over the centuries has developed many spellings. These include Everist, Everix, Everiss and Evreux to Deveraux, Devereu and Deverose. Walter de Eureus is noted in the 1159 Pipe Rolls of Herefordshire, and Stephen de Euereus is listed in the 1199 Memoranda Rolls of Worcestershire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger de Ebrois, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book of Norfolk, during the reign of King William 1st of England, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087.