Hilley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland
• Scotland

Etymology of Hilley

When the ancestors of the Hilley family emigrated to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066 they brought their family name with them. They lived near or on a hill. Hilley, which was extremely popular and widely distributed in England, is a classic example of an English polygenetic surname, which is a surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently. The name was originally derived from the Old English hyll, which simply meant hill or dweller by the hill. 1

Early Origins of the Hilley family

Early History of the Hilley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hilley research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1271, 1484, 1549, 1559, 1589, 1595, 1597, 1601, 1602, 1605, 1628, 1629, 1635, 1642, 1649, 1657, 1663, 1667, 1672, 1685, 1692, 1694, 1695, 1699, 1711, 1721, 1727, 1734, 1735, 1736, 1749, 1750, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hilley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hilley 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. Hilley has been recorded under many different variations, including Hill, Hille, Hyll, Hills and others.

Early Notables of the Hilley family

Distinguished members of the family include John Hill (1589-1657), an English merchant and politician, Member of Parliament for Dorchester (1628-1629); Roger Hill (1605-1667), of Poundsford, Somerset, an English judge and Member of Parliament; Michael Hill (1672-1699), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Saltash (1692-1695), appointed to the Privy Council of Ireland in 1694; James Hill (died 1734), an English master mason in Cheltenham...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hilley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hilley Ranking

In the United States, the name Hilley is the 16,898^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Hilley family to Ireland

Some of the Hilley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hilley family

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. Hilleys were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America: Edward Hill, who settled in Virginia in 1623; Joan Hill, who immigrated to St. Christopher in 1635; Henry Hill, who came to Bermuda in 1635; John Hill, who settled in Barbados in 1654.