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Headley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Headley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient history of the Headley name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in one of a variety of similarly-named places. Headley in Hampshire is the oldest. The surname Headley belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Headley family

The surname Headley was first found in Shropshire and Hampshire. One of the first records of the name was Siward de Hedeleia who was listed in 1148, in Winton, Hampshire. Stephen de Hedleye was listed the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. 1 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Alan de Hedleg, and Nicholas de Heddeleg in Shropshire and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Records of 1379 list Willelmus de Hedlay and Margareta de Hedelay. 2

Early History of the Headley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Headley research. Another 173 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1832 are included under the topic Early Headley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Headley 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 Headley include Headley, Heggeley, Headly, Hedley, Hedly, Hedlegg, Hedleigh, Headlee, Headleigh, Hegeley and many more.

Early Notables of the Headley family

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

Headley Ranking

In the United States, the name Headley is the 3,263^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3

Headley migration to the United States +

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 Headley or a variant listed above:

Headley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Headley, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 4

Headley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Headley, who settled in Maryland in 1722
Michael Headley, who landed in America in 1764 4

Headley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Headley, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 4
John Headley, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 4
James Headley, aged 34, who landed in New York in 1854 4
John, Edward, and Jacob Headley, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1865

Headley migration to Australia +

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

Headley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Headley, (Hately), (b. 1784), aged 23, English groom who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 14 years for theft, transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1853 5
Mr. Henry Headley, British Convict who was convicted in Derby, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
George Headley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 7
Ann Headley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 7
Sarah Arabella Headley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Headley 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:

Headley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Headley, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Headley (post 1700) +

Josephine Headley (b. 1891), American silent film actress
Joel Tyler Headley (1813-1897), American clergyman, historian and politician, Secretary of State of New York
Maria Dahvana Headley (b. 1977), American writer
Fern James Headley (1901-1956), American professional ice hockey defenceman
Shari Headley (b. 1964), American actress
Hal Price Headley (1888-1962), American owner and breeder of Thoroughbred racehorses, founder of Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky
Chase Headley (b. 1984), American Major League Baseball third baseman
Justina Headley (b. 1968), American author
Russell Headley, American Democratic Party politician, National Democratic Candidate for Presidential Elector for New York, 1896 8
Joel T. Headley, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Orange County 1st District, 1855; Secretary of State of New York, 1856-57 8
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Headley family +

SS Atlantic

Isabella Headley, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 28th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-portland
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MOFFATT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Moffatt.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html