The English surname Bishop, also found in Ireland and Scotland,is derived  from Middle English biscop, Old English bisc(e)op meaning “bishop,” which comes via Latin from Greek episkopos meaning “overseer.”The Greek word was adopted early in the Christian era as a title for an overseer of a local community of Christians. The first written reference to the name is in 1166 when Lefwinus Bissop is recorded in the Pipe Rolls of the city of Nottingham. A notable bearer of the name was Elizabeth Bishop the acclaimed 20th Century American poet and writer. There are over 115,000 bearers of the surname Bishop resident in The United States today.

  BISHOP FAMILY CREST PENDANT