Show ContentsHeatherly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the name Heatherly date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Heatherly family lived in the village of Adderley in Shropshire 1; the village was known as "Eldredelei" in the Domesday Book and was held by Nigel the Doctor. 2

One source notes a Norman connection to the family: "The name was derived from Doussainville, between Paris and Orleans. This family of De Dunstanville continued barons of Adderley in 1255. Henry de Adderley, a younger son, occurs in Staffordshire, 13th century 3, and 1310 Robert de Adderle is mentioned 4. The usage of those ages restricted the name of the barony to the family of its lords." 5

Early Origins of the Heatherly family

The surname Heatherly was first found in Shropshire at Adderley, a village and civil parish that literally means "woodland clearing of a woman called Athryth," from the Old English personal name + "leah." 6

Early History of the Heatherly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heatherly research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1637 is included under the topic Early Heatherly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heatherly Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Heatherly are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Heatherly include: Adderley, Adderly, Addly, Adley, Aderly, Atherly, Atherley, Hadderley and many more.

Early Notables of the Heatherly family

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

Heatherly Ranking

In the United States, the name Heatherly is the 9,687th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7


United States Heatherly migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Heatherly or a variant listed above:

Heatherly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Heatherly, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1774 8
Heatherly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Arthur Heatherly, who arrived in America in 1879 8
  • Madge Heatherly, aged 5, who landed in America from Carlisle, in 1897
  • Margaret Heatherly, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States from Carlisle, in 1897
  • Mary Heatherly, aged 2, who landed in America from Carlisle, in 1897

Contemporary Notables of the name Heatherly (post 1700) +

  • Chris Heatherly, American mixed martial artist
  • Eric Heatherly (b. 1970), American country music artist


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
  4. Palgrave, Sir Francis F.R.S., F.S.A. History of the Anglo-Saxons. London: William Tegg, 1871, Print.
  5. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  6. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)


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