Selves History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Selves

What does the name Selves mean?

The generations and branches of the Selves family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Selves comes from the Old English given name Saulf. Selves is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronymic surnames were formed by adopting the given name of an ancestor of the bearer, while others came from popular religious names, and from the names of secular heroes. In this case, the surname arose out of the vernacular tradition, and was likely the name of an ancestor of the bearer. The given name Saulf was composed of the elements sæ and wulf, which mean sea and wolf. 1

Early Origins of the Selves family

The surname Selves was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Saiulfus, Sahulfus, Saulf, Saolf, Saul, Seulf are all listed. Robert filius Seulfi was listed as a Knights Templar in Berkshire in 1185 and later William Sewolf was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. John and William Self were found in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 2

"The name Sewlf (sea-wolf) occurs in a charter of Canute, and it is probably the same as the Saulf in the Domesday of Derbyshire, where it is in the Scandinavian form. Hence may be our Salve, Self, Selves." 3 4

In Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Cristiana del Schelf, 1379; and Johannes de Schelf. 5

Early History of the Selves family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Selves research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1086 is included under the topic Early Selves History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selves Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Selves include Self, Selfe and others.

Early Notables of the Selves family

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

Migration of the Selves family to Ireland

Some of the Selves family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Selves family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Selves or a variant listed above: Isaac Self settled in Pennsylvania in 1682; John Self settled in Pennsylvania in 1771; Samuel Self settled in Pennsylvania in 1771; William and Susan Selfe arrived in Barbados in 1654 but transferred to Virginia in the same year..

Sources +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)