Wily History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Wily

What does the name Wily mean?

The Wily family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name Wily is derived from the personal name William. The Gaelic form of the surname is Mac Uilleim, which means son of William.

Early Origins of the Wily family

The surname Wily was first found in on the Isle of Harris, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland.

Early History of the Wily family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wily research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1187, 1215, 1613 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Wily History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wily Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Wily has appeared in various documents spelled MacWilliam, MacQuilliam, MacKilliam, MacWilliams, MacKullie, MacCullie, MacWillie and many more.

Early Notables of the Wily family

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

Migration of the Wily family to Ireland

Some of the Wily family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wily migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Wily or a variant listed above:

Wily Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Wily, who landed in Virginia in 1714 1

Wily Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mrs. wily, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 1

Wily migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wily Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Robert Wily, who settled in St. John's Newfoundland in 1805 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Wily (post 1700) +

Taylor Tuli Wily (1968-2024), American actor, sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist, best known for his recurring role as Kamekona Tupuola on Hawaii Five-0
Wily Wilhelm Korf (b. 1929), prominent German industrialist

Sources +

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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0