Contents [hide]

Ellison History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Ellison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Ellison family

The surname Ellison was first found in Durham where the "surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Ellis'; Old English Elis or Elys (Elias). Ellison may originate from the English form-thus Elis, Elis-son; or from the Old French form, thus Elie, Elie-son. This name was wonderfully popularized throughout Western Europe by the Crusaders." 1

In the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the shortened root form of the name was predominantly found: Elis Kneyt, Buckinghamshire; Henry filius Elis, Cumberland; Agnes uxor Elys, Cambridgeshire; Simon filius Elys, Bedfordshire; Nicholas filius Elye, Cambridgeshire; and Roger filius Elye, Salop. 1

While over one hundred years later, the extended form of the name was more typical in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379: Robert Elleson; Adam Elisson; Stephanus Elisson, smyth; Alicia Elys, wyf; Elys Burton; Johannes Elynson; and Johannes Elynson. 1

Further to the north in Scotland, Rogier Elyssone of Berwickshire was the first recorded. He rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. Later, William Elysson, Scots prisoner of war was released from Newgate prison in 1375 and John Elison had safe conduct into England in 1424. 2

Early History of the Ellison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellison research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1296, 1590, 1614, 1615, 1646, 1647, 1658, 1659, 1660, 1671, 1678 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ellison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellison Spelling Variations

The name Ellison, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Ellison, Ellerson, Elleson, Elyson, Elison and many more.

Early Notables of the Ellison family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Robert Ellison (1614-1678), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1647 and 1660, Sheriff of Newcastle in 1646

Ellison World Ranking

In the United States, the name Ellison is the 664^th most popular surname with an estimated 44,766 people with that name. 3 However, in New Zealand, the name Ellison is ranked the 928^th most popular surname with an estimated 802 people with that name. 4 And in the United Kingdom, the name Ellison is the 809^th popular surname with an estimated 8,349 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Ellison family to Ireland

Some of the Ellison family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellison migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned as many of the settlers in Ireland, known as the Scotch/Irish, became disenchanted. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Amongst the early settlers who could be considered kinsmen of the Ellison family, or who bore a variation of the surname Ellison were

Ellison Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Ellin Ellison, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "Charity" 6
John Ellison, who landed in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "Prosperous" 6
George Ellison who settled in Virginia in 1624
William Ellison, aged 44, who landed in Virginia in 1624 aboard the ship "Swan" 6
Jonath Ellison, who landed in Virginia in 1635 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ellison Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Charles Ellison, who arrived in Virginia in 1701-1702 6
Joseph Ellison, who arrived in Long Island in 1720 6
A Ellison, who arrived in New England in 1771 6
Abraham Ellison, who landed in New England in 1772 6
Thomas Ellison, who landed in New York in 1789 6

Ellison Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Tylee Ellison, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1824 6
Christopher Ellison, who landed in New York in 1832 6
B Ellison, aged 40, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1840 6
Henry, Andrew, George, James, John, Martha Ellison all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1800 and 1850
C Ellison, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ellison migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ellison Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Geo. Ludowick Ellison, who settled in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. Abraham Ellison U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Cape Ann Association 7
Mr. Jacob Ellison U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Cape Ann Association 7
Mr. Joseph Ellison U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, New Brunswick c. 1784 7
Mr. Joseph Ellison U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Cape Ann Association 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ellison migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ellison Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

W. Ellison, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Watson" in 1849 8
Daniel Ellison, aged 41, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "James Fernie" 9
James Ellison, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Victoria Regia"
William Ellison, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Agincourt"
Mr. Melville Ellison, British convict who was convicted in Isle of Man for 10 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

Ellison migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ellison Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Ellison, who landed in East Coast, New Zealand in 1839
Elizabeth Ellison, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865
Mr. Ellison, American settler travelling from Honolulu aboard the ship "Nebraska" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 16th November 1872 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Ellison (post 1700) +

Ralph Waldo Ellison (1914-1994), American writer, best known for the "Invisible Man" and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Harlan Jay Ellison (1934-2018), American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction
Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Ellison (b. 1944), American business magnate, co-founder and chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation
William Henry Ellison (b. 1945), former American NFL football running back
Brady Ellison (b. 1988), American Olympic archer
Keith Maurice Ellison (b. 1963), American lawyer and politician
James Ellison (1910-1993), American actor
C. A. Ellison, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wyoming County, 1954 11
Brooke Ellison, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 2nd District, 2006 11
Brian Durst Ellison, American politician, Representative from Michigan 5th District, 1996, 1998, 2000 11
... (Another 62 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ellison family +

Flight TWA 800

Ms. Marie Louise Ellison (d. 1996), from Mount Vernon, New York, USA, American passenger flying aboard Flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; she died in the crash 12

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The barque WILLIAM WATSON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849WilliamWatson.htm
South Australian Register Friday 17th November 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) James Fernie 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/jamesfernie1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm