| ![Show Contents]() Bortle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancestors of the bearers of the Bortle family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in either the settlement of Birtle in the county of Lancashire or the settlement of Birtles in the county of Cheshire. The names of these places are derived from the Old English word bridd, meaning young bird or nestling, and indicates that the places were originally known as nesting grounds for birds. Early Origins of the Bortle familyThe surname Bortle was first found in Cheshire at Birtles, a township, in the parish of Prestbury, union and hundred of Macclesfield. "Birtles Hall and demesne belonged for many generations to the Birtles family." 1 Early History of the Bortle familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bortle research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1602 is included under the topic Early Bortle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bortle Spelling VariationsUntil 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 Bortle include Birtles, Byrtles, Birchell, Birchells and others. Early Notables of the Bortle familyMore information is included under the topic Early Bortle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Bortle family to Ireland
Some of the Bortle 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.
| Bortle migration to the United States | + |
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 Bortle or a variant listed above:
Bortle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Nick Bortle, aged 24, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name Bortle (post 1700) | + |
- George V. Bortle, American cinematographer for Science Times (2001)
- John E. Bortle, American amateur astronomer who developed the Bortle scale to quantify the darkness of the night sky
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- 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)
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Bortle migration to the United States 
England
Ireland
