History

The origin of the family is found in the medieval nobility. It can be traced with full certainty to the squire Ulf Siggesson, noted in 1463 and dead some time after 1472. The latter was allotted the farmstead Tjugby of Heda parish in �sterg�tland by the Council of the Crown. According to the genealogical maps of the House of Nobility (Baronage Maps of Elgenstierna, vol. VII, p. 357) he is stated to be the great grandson of the squire Olof Haraldsson, under law-man in Uppland, dead before year 1411. The latter carried a coat-of-arms of a similar aspect. It can not be excluded, however, that Olof Haraldsson and his near descendants belonged to a different, since a long time extinct nobility carrying the same arms as Ulf Siggesson and his offspring.

Ulf Siggesson's son Knut Ulfsson, dead before 1514, was married to Brita Haraldsdotter, whose grandmother was named M�rta Bj�rnsdotter Soop, daughter of Bj�rn Soop, the district vice president of Tjust (then part of �sterg�tland). He belonged to the medieval nobility Soop, which carried three pike's teeth in its coat-of-arms, and became extinct at the end of the 15th century. The descendants of Knut Ulfsson adopted the name Soop after this maternal family during the later part of the 16th century.

Knut Ulfsson's great grandson was Hans �kesson Soop of Stora Bjurum and M�ls�ker (1552-1619), Crown Counsellor 1609. His eldest son �ke Hansson Soop (1584 - after 1648), district president of V�ne in 1642, is the man from which current members of the family are descendant (see further below). He was introduced, on behalf of the family, to the House of Nobility as a member of the Knighthood class in 1625. A younger son, Mattias Soop (1585-1653), Crown Counsellor 1627, was elevated to baronage in 1651 under the name Soop af Limingo (No. 19), extinct on the male side in 1717. A grandson of Hans �kesson, Erik Soop (1643-1700), major general and governor of Riga in 1686, was elevated to baronage in 1687 (No. 87); his branch became extinct with him.

When introduced in 1625, the family was placed in the second class of the House of Nobility, the so-called Knighthood class, which encompassed untitled descendants of former Counsellors of the Crown. Together with the first class, the so-called Lordship class that embraced counts and barons, the families of the Knighthood class represented the higher nobility.

�ke Hansson Soop, mentioned above as the man who was introduced on behalf of the family in 1625, had two sons in separate marriages. The eldest son, Erik �kesson Soop (1613-1674), district president of �sterbotten with properties in V�sterg�tland and V�rmland, continued the head branch that became extinct with his great-great grandson in 1812. Headmanship was then transferred to the descendants of the younger son, Hans �kesson Soop (born in the 1640-ies), major at the artillery at Stade. His grandson's grandson's grandson's son, Hans �kesson Soop (born 1935), is now the principal of the family.