Earley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Earley

What does the name Earley mean?

The name Earley is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that was given to a person who was a male who was of manly character. The surname Earley originally derived from the Old English word Eorlic which referred to one who displayed manly characteristics. The surname Earley belongs to a broad and miscellaneous class of surnames. Nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. Often nicknames described strong traits or attributes that people wished to emulate in a specific animal.

Early Origins of the Earley family

The surname Earley was first found in Somerset where one of the first records of the name was John de Earlea who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1162. A few years later, William de Erlega was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1190 and John de Erley was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1230. 1

Bardsley claims the name was a local name "of Earley, a parish in the diocese of Oxford." 2 He quotes another contemporary source "Lower says 'A liberty in the parish of Sonning, co. Berks.' " 3 The latter Berkshire local was confirmed by Reaney. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following found in Somerset: Clemens Erleghe; Phillip Erlee; and Warin Erlee. 2 The Berkshire local is the only one we could find today.

Early History of the Earley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Earley research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1773, 1786, 1798, 1813, 1815, 1817, 1872, 1873 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Earley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Earley Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Earley has undergone many spelling variations, including Early, Erlegh, Erlee, Erly, Earley, Erle, Erley, Arlie and many more.

Early Notables of the Earley family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Early (1786-1873)American religious leader who was instrumental in organizing the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Bridget Ellen "Biddy" Early (1798-1872) née O'Connor...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Earley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Earley Ranking

In the United States, the name Earley is the 3,283^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Earley family to Ireland

Some of the Earley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Earley migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Earley were among those contributors:

Earley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Earley, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 5

Earley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Earley, aged 20, who arrived in New York in 1854 5
Rose Earley, aged 40, who landed in New York in 1854 5
Francis Earley, aged 18, who arrived in New York in 1854 5
Michael Earley, who settled in Philadelphia in 1868
Earley, aged 28, who settled in America, in 1892

Earley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Annie Earley, aged 30, who immigrated to America, in 1901
Annie Earley, aged 20, who landed in America from Ballyjamesduff, Ireland, in 1908
Charlotte Earley, aged 24, who landed in America from Dublin, Ireland, in 1908
Edward Earley, aged 34, who settled in America from Cardendin, Scotland, in 1913
Annie Earley, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Dublin, Ireland, in 1913
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Earley (post 1700) +

William Albert "Bill" Earley (b. 1956), American retired Major League Baseball pitcher
Lori Earley, American pop surrealist artist
Jay Earley, American computer scientist and psychologist who invented the Earley parser
Kevin Earley, American stage, film, and television actor
Candice Jean Earley (b. 1950), American actress
Pete Earley, American journalist and writer of non-fiction books and novels
John Joseph Earley (1881-1945), American fourth generation stone carver and ecclesiastical artist, best known for the invention of the Earley Process
Thomas Francis Aloysius Earley (1917-1988), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Tony Earley (b. 1961), American novelist and short story writer from San Antonio, Texas
Arnold Carl Earley (1933-1999), American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)