Show ContentsEllett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Pictish clans of ancient Scotland were the first people to use the name Ellett. It comes from living in Liddesdale and Teviotdale where the family has a long and distinguished history dating back to the early Middle Ages. The name is actually derived from the Old English personal name Elwald or Aelfwald, but this name is now all but extinct as a personal name.

Early Origins of the Ellett family

The surname Ellett was first found in Liddesdale, and Teviotdale where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Ellett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellett research. Another 205 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1396, 1499, 1546 and 1898 are included under the topic Early Ellett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellett Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Elliott, Elliot, Eliot, Eliott, Ellegett, Ellegot, Ellecot, Ellacott, Ellacot, Ellgate, Ellett, Ellit and many more.

Early Notables of the Ellett family

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

Ellett Ranking

In the United States, the name Ellett is the 12,849th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Ellett family to Ireland

Some of the Ellett 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.


United States Ellett migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ellett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Abra Ellett, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 2
  • Eliz Ellett, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 2
  • Rebecca Ellett, who landed in Maryland in 1670 2
  • Ann Ellett, who landed in Maryland in 1676 2
  • Susanna Ellett, who landed in Maryland in 1676 2
Ellett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Ellett, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 2
  • Richard Ellett, who arrived in Virginia in 1712 2
  • Gilbert Ellett, who landed in Virginia in 1712 2
  • Lewis Ellett who settled in Virginia in 1721

Australia Ellett migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ellett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • John Ellett, English convict from Devon, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 3
  • Mr. Thomas Ellett, British Convict who was convicted in Huntingdon, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

New Zealand Ellett migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ellett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • M. Ellett, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship "Tornado" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 5
  • George Ellett, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Ellett (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Harlan Ellett (1880-1951), American architect in New York City who won the Architectural League of New York's Silver Medal for his Johnson Residence in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1928
  • Tazewell Ellett (1856-1914), American politician, U.S. Representative from Virginia (1895-1897)
  • Henry T. Ellett (1812-1887), American politician, U.S. Representative to Congress for Mississippi in 1847
  • David George John "Dave" Ellett (b. 1964), American-born, Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player who played from 1984 to 2000
  • Neil Ellett (b. 1944), Canadian Olympic soccer player
  • John Ellett Herrnstein (1938-2017), American baseball and football player; he played Major League Baseball from 1962 to 1966


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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