A Hopeful Journey Through Time: Unraveling the History of My Surname at iGENEA
Family name Hope
Discovering my ancestral roots through iGENEA, I tapped into the rich and complex history of my family name, Hope. Unveiling tales of noble lineage, epic migrations, and tales of survival, the experience unsurprisingly fueled an insatiable curiosity to keep exploring my genealogical past.
My first encounter with iGENEA was born out of the even-greater curiosity sparked by family stories and ancestral rites. Signing up for iGENEA was an undertaking to quench my thirst for the origin of my last name - Hope - and to understand more about my forebears.
On receipt of the iGENEA kit, I found the clear instructions on how to acquire a saliva sample incredibly easy to follow. I felt a growing excitement as I sent back the collected sample, both for the revelations about my lineage and the potential affirmation of the family tales I'd been brought up with.
My iGENEA results were invigorating. To learn that my surname, Hope, traces back to ancient noble British roots was mystifying. The Hopes hailed from the duchy of Lancaster in the Medieval age and the name likely originated as a place-denoting surname for those living in a fenced-in or enclosed valley, which in old English is 'hop'. With the iGENEA's comprehensive DNA analysis, I found evocative strands of history that were previously obscure.
The revelations did not stop there. The haplogroup shared in my analysis painted a vivid and engrossing picture of my ancient forebears' migration patterns. Knowing that my ancestors were part of the mass movements from the Fertile Crescent, expanding through Europe and eventually British Isles, has given me a newfound respect for the resilience of humanity.
Safe to say, the world of genealogy has opened up to me in an indescribable way through this process. The broadened sense of identity and belonging offered by iGENEA’s DNA analysis has stirred an inquisitiveness that fuels my ongoing research. Whether it's about my name's origin or the migratory adventure of my forebears, it all confirms a certain truth: I am a product of my history, the history of the resilient Hope lineage. I plan to share this treasure trove of knowledge with my kin, fostering a shared understanding of our familial roots that will surely bring us closer together.
F. Hope