Flory History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Flory family

The surname Flory was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of lands in that shire.

Early History of the Flory family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flory research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1285 and 1402 are included under the topic Early Flory History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flory Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Florey, Flory, Flurry, Flury, Flurrie, Fleury and others.

Early Notables of the Flory family

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

Flory Ranking

In the United States, the name Flory is the 7,032^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Flory is ranked the 6,488^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 3

Flory migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Flory or a variant listed above:

Flory Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Susanna Flory, who arrived in Lancaster, NY in 1833 4
Abraham Flory, who arrived in Ohio in 1834
Ellville Flory, who arrived in St. Clair Co. IL in 1875

Flory migration to Australia +

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

Flory Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Flory, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Flory (post 1700) +

Brigadier-General Lester De Long Flory (1899-1990), American Deputy President of Army Field Forces Board 4, Fort Bliss, Texas (1946-1949) 6
Paul John Flory (1910-1985), American polymer chemist
Flory Mauriocourt, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1900 7

Historic Events for the Flory family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Dale F. Flory, American Water tender Second Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 8
Mr. Max Edward Flory, American Seaman Second Class from Indiana, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 8

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Lester Flory. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Flory/Lester_De_Long/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html