Gelis is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Gelis family lived in Hertfordshire. The family was originally from Eschailles, in Pas de Calais, Normandy, and it is from this location that their surname is derived.
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Early Origins of the Gelis family
The surname Gelis was first found in Hertfordshire where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.
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Early History of the Gelis family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gelis research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1449 is included under the topic Early Gelis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Gelis 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 Challis, Challes, Challers, Challice, Challies, Challiss, Chalis, Chales, Chalers, Chalice, Chalies and many more.
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Early Notables of the Gelis family
More information is included under the topic Early Gelis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gelis Ranking
In France, the name Gelis is the 5,590th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1
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Migration of the Gelis family
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 Gelis or a variant listed above: Phillip Challis settled in Newbury Massachusetts in 1637; Edward Challis settled in Virginia in 1639; Robert Chalis settled in New England in 1698.
England
