Elly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Elly

What does the name Elly mean?

The name Elly reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is based on Fitz Elie, the name of a distinguished Norman family who came to England in 1066 with William the Conqueror's invasion.

Early Origins of the Elly family

The surname Elly was first found in Cambridgeshire at Ely, a city, and the head of a union, in the Isle of Ely. 1 2

"This place, which is the capital of an extensive district in the Fens, comprising the greater part of the northern division of Cambridgeshire, is supposed to have derived its Saxon name Elig either from the British Helyg, a willow, with which tree, from the marshy nature of the soil, it especially abounded, or, according to Bede, from Elge, an eel, for which fish it was equally remarkable. Ethelreda, daughter of Anna, King of the East Angles, founded a monastery here, in 673, for monks and nuns." 3

The earliest records of the family were not from here, but in elsewhere at the time of the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Reginald filius Elye, Lincolnshire; and Gilbert Elye, Kent. 4The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III also listed John filius Elie, Lincolnshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of King Edward I's reign.) In Norfolk, Nicholas de Ely was bailiff of Norwich, 1227. 5

Nicholas of Ely (d. 1280), was Chancellor and successively Bishop of Worcester and Winchester, and "may have derived his name from the fact that about 1249 he was appointed Archdeacon of Ely. He was also a few years later Prebendary of St. Paul's. There is, however, a Nicholas of Ely mentioned as prior of the Cluniac monastery of Daventry in Northamptonshire between 1231 and 1264. " 6

Early History of the Elly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elly research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1604, 1605, 1609, 1634, 1656 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Elly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elly Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Elly has been recorded under many different variations, including Ely, Elie, Ealy and others.

Early Notables of the Elly family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Ely (d. 1609), was an English Catholic divine, brother of Dr. Humphrey Ely, born in Herefordshire, and educated at Brasenose College, Oxford. His brother, Humphrey Ely (d. 1604), was also an English Catholic divine and a native of...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Elly family to Ireland

Some of the Elly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elly migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Ellys were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America:

Elly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jone Elly, who landed in Virginia in 1652 7
John Elly, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 7

Elly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hants David Elly, aged 20, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Elly (post 1700) +

Colin Elly Begg (b. 1917), Australian Judge, Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
Elly Kenner (b. 1948), Israeli film editor, director, and producer
Elly de Groen -Kouwenhoven (1949-2004), born Elly Kouwenhoven, a Dutch author and politician, Member of the European Parliament 2004-2009
Elly Lieber (b. 1932), Austrian two-time gold medalist luger who competed in the late 1950s
Elly Ameling (b. 1933), Dutch opera singer
Elly de Groen-Kouwenhoven (b. 1949), Dutch politician, Member of the European Parliament
Elly M. Peterson (b. 1914), American Republican politician, Vice-chair of Michigan Republican Party, 1961-63; Michigan Republican State Chair, 1965-69; Member of Republican National Committee from Michigan, 1969-71 8

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html