Show ContentsGailly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain were the first to use the name of Gailly. The name had a practical origin since it came from when its initial bearer worked as a galley-man. One source notes that these people were "rowers" 1 while another notes that "these were commonly called gallie-men, as men that came up in the gallies, who brought up wines and other merchandizes, which they landed in Thames-strete, at a place called Galley- key." 2

Early Origins of the Gailly family

The surname Gailly was first found in Yorkshire where Henry Galye was first listed in the Assize Rolls of 1219. Years later, Adam del Galay was listed in 1304. 1

Early History of the Gailly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gailly research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1304, 1696, 1714, 1717, 1721, 1728 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Gailly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gailly Spelling Variations

Until 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 Gailly include Galley, Gallie, Gally, Galey, Gally and others.

Early Notables of the Gailly family

Distinguished members of the family include Henry Gally (1696-1769), English divine and classical scholar, son of the Rev. Peter Gally, a French Protestant refugee, was born at Beckenham, Kent, in August 1696. He was admitted a pensioner of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, under the tuition of Mr. Fawcett...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gailly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gailly family

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 Gailly or a variant listed above: John Galley purchased land in Salem, Massachusetts in 1637. In the same year Thomas Galley landed on the island of St. Christopher; William Galley settled in Virginia in 1637.



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print


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