Byle Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient name of Byle finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a maker of polearms or halberds and billhooks as these were common weapons in early times. The name could also be a baptismal name derived from son of William, although this latter origin is less likely.

Early Origins of the Byle family

The surname Byle was first found in Somerset, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early records of the name mention Walter Nicholas Bile who was documented in the year 1185 in London and Robert atte Byle appears in 1327 in County Surrey. 1

William Byle of County Somerset, was documented during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) 2 and Thomas Biles of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. 3

Early History of the Byle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Byle research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1500, 1501, 1505, 1533, 1535, 1547, 1548, 1551, 1553, 1558, 1560, 1561, 1667 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Byle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byle Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Byle family name include Bill, Bills, Billes and others.

Early Notables of the Byle family

Distinguished members of the family include William Bill (d. 1501), Dean of Westminster, son of John Bill of Ashwell, Hertfordshire, and brother of Thomas Bill, M.D., of the same place, and of St. Bartholomew's, London, physician to Henry VIII. He was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Byle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Byle family to Ireland

Some of the Byle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byle migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Byle surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Byle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Symon Byle, who arrived in Virginia in 1649 4

Byle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eveles Byle, aged 18, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 4

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
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)