Show ContentsGellatly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Today's generation of the Gellatly family inherits a name that was first used by the Scottish tribe known as the Picts. The first family to use the name Gellatly lived in some place which is now obscure. The surname Gellatly belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. [1]

Other sources claim the name is "a nickname for messenger, runner, [2] or "a messenger or runner [who] was fleet of foot." [3]

Early Origins of the Gellatly family

The surname Gellatly was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, 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 Gellatly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gellatly research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1291, 1296, 1745, 1762, 1784 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Gellatly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gellatly Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Gellatly has appeared Galletly, Gallightly, Gellatly, Gellately, Gillatly, Golightly and many more.

Early Notables of the Gellatly family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Anne Catleyborn, born in 1745 in an alley near "Tower Hill, London of very humble parents, her father being a hackney coachman, and her mother a washerwoman. Endowed with great personal beauty, a charming voice, and a natural talent for singing, she gained her living at the early age of 10 years by singing in the public houses in the neighbourhood, and also for the diversion of the officers quartered in the Tower. When about 15 years of age she was...
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gellatly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Gellatly migration to the United States +

Many Scottish families suffered enormous hardships and were compelled to leave their country of birth. They traveled to Ireland and Australia, but mostly to the colonies of North America, where many found the freedom and opportunity they sought. It was not without a fight, though, as many were forced to stand up and defend their freedom in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of these Scots abroad have rediscovered their heritage in the last century through the Clan societies and other organizations that have sprung up across North America. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Gellatly:

Gellatly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • H. C. Gellatly, aged 19, who landed in America, in 1896
  • Mrs. A. E. Gellatly, aged 57, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
Gellatly Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • William D. Gellatly, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1910
  • William John R.P. Gellatly, aged 25, who landed in America from London, England, in 1910
  • John Gellatly, aged 26, who landed in America from Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1910
  • Helen Gellatly, aged 34, who immigrated to America from Nitshill, Scotland, in 1911
  • Francis E. Gellatly, aged 48, who immigrated to the United States, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Gellatly 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:

Gellatly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Gellatly, aged 33, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
  • Jessie B. Gellatly, aged 29, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
  • David Gellatly, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
  • Jessie B. Gellatly, aged 5, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
  • Elizabeth Gellatly, aged 2, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Gellatly (post 1700) +

  • John Arthur Gellatly (1869-1963), American politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Washington (1929-1933)
  • Jim Gellatly, Scottish radio presenter and DJ
  • Dr Jessie Handyside Gellatly MB ChB DPH (1882-1935), British physician, one of Britain’s first university-qualified female doctors, she served with the Royal Army Medical Corps in the First World War
  • Charles Thelluson "Charlie" Gellatly (1910-1973), English professional association football player who played from 1928 to 1934
  • Stephen James Gellatly (b. 1980), New Zealand first-class cricketer


The Gellatly Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Hactenus invictus
Motto Translation: Hitherto unconquered.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print


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