| ![Show Contents]() Raleigh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of RaleighWhat does the name Raleigh mean? The origins of the Raleigh name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the village of Raleigh in the county of Devon. This place-name was originally derived from the Old English ra leah meaning a meadow for deer. 1 Early Origins of the Raleigh familyThe surname Raleigh was first found in Devon where one of the first records of the name was William de Raley (or William de Ralegh or William Raleigh) (died 1250) a medieval judge, administrator and bishop. Born in Devon, he became Bishop of Winchester, "but it is doubtful to which of the four branches of the Devonshire Raleighs he belonged. In 1212 he was presented by King John to the church of Bratton, and was employed in judicial business in Lincolnshire and Cumberland in 1226-1227." 2 "According to Fuller, they derived their name from 'a well-known town' in that county. I cannot discover any town, or even village, so called." 3 However another source provides more clues about the bishop's origin: "Ralegh, Bishop of Winchester, 1244, was born at Ralegh, in the parish of Pilton, the original seat of this famous family. " 4 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Hugh de Ralegh in Devon; and Warin de Raleghe in Somerset. 5 Early History of the Raleigh familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Raleigh research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1552, 1586, 1597, 1600, 1605, 1618, 1626, 1641, 1646, 1659 and 1666 are included under the topic Early Raleigh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Raleigh Spelling VariationsBefore the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Raleigh were recorded, including Raleigh, Rawleigh, Rawley, Rawle, Rawles and others. Early Notables of the Raleigh familyNotables of this surname at this time include: - Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618), a court favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, known for his expeditions to the New World; and his second son, Walter Raleigh or Ralegh (1586-1646), an English divine, Dean of...
Raleigh RankingIn the United States, the name Raleigh is the 7,067th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6 Migration of the Raleigh family to IrelandSome of the Raleigh family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Raleigh migration to the United States | + |
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Raleigh family emigrate to North America:
Raleigh Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Philip Raleigh, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1743 7
Raleigh Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Raleigh, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1824 7
- Maurice Raleigh, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1848
- A J C Raleigh, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
- David Raleigh, who settled in Philadelphia in 1868
| Contemporary Notables of the name Raleigh (post 1700) | + |
- Kevin Raleigh (b. 1952), American singer and keyboardist
- Patrick Raleigh, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Arkansas 4th District, 1894; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Arkansas, 1900 8
- Frank T. Raleigh, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1940 8
- Cecil Raleigh (1856-1914), English actor and playwright
- Andy Raleigh (b. 1981), English rugby league player
- Alexander Raleigh (1817-1880), Scottish nonconformist divine, born at The Flock, a farmhouse near Castle Douglas in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright in Galloway, fourth son of Thomas and Isabella Raleigh
- Don "Bone" Raleigh (1926-2012), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player for the New York Rangers from Kenora, Ontario, inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame (1998)
- Professor Sir Walter Alexander Raleigh (1861-1922), Scottish scholar, poet and author
- Christie Raleigh Crossley (b. 1987), American Paralympic swimmer
- Walter Raleigh Danforth (1787-1861), American jurist, journalist, and 4th mayor of Providence, Rhode Island 1853-1854
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- "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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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