Philly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Philly

Philly is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Philly is a name that comes from the ancient given name Phillip. Phillip derives from the Greek name Phillipos, which derives from the words philein, meaning to love, and hippos, meaning horse.

Early Origins of the Philly family

Early History of the Philly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Philly research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1305 and 1450 are included under the topic Early Philly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Philly Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Phillipson, Phillippson, Philippson, Philipson and others.

Early Notables of the Philly family

More information is included under the topic Early Philly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Philly family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Philly or a variant listed above were: Robert Phillipson settled in Virginia in 1638; John Phillipson settled in Virginia in 1739.