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Hillis History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Hillis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Hillis family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living as inhabitants in a house on a hill.

Early Origins of the Hillis family

The surname Hillis was first found in Buckinghamshire 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 Hillis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hillis research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1173, 1442, 1514 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hillis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hillis 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 Hillis include Hillis, Hillas, Hillers, Hillhouse, Hillus, Hallis and many more.

Early Notables of the Hillis family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Hillis of Buckingham

Hillis Ranking

In the United States, the name Hillis is the 5,268^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Hillis family to Ireland

Some of the Hillis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hillis 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 Hillis or a variant listed above:

Hillis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Hillis, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1787 2

Hillis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Hillis, who settled in Philadelphia in 1820
D. Hillis, aged 36, who landed in America, in 1895

Hillis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Emily Hillis, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Co. Monaghan, in 1900
Frank Norman Hillis, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from Dublin, in 1905
Ester Hillis, aged 19, who settled in America from Ireland, Artrim, in 1907
Archie Hillis, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States from Monaghan, Ireland, in 1907
Alexander Hillis, aged 28, who landed in America from Antrim, Ireland, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hillis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hillis Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Alice Hillis, aged 20, who settled in Halifax, Canada, in 1909

Contemporary Notables of the name Hillis (post 1700) +

Robert Duane "Rib" Hillis (b. 1971), American soap opera actor, known for General Hospital (1963), Port Charles (1997) and Groom's Cake (2012)
Alecia Deann "Ali" Hillis (b. 1978), American actress, known for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Must Love Dogs (2005) and Mass Effect (2007)
William Daniel "Danny" Hillis (b. 1956), American inventor, entrepreneur and author
Peyton Hillis (b. 1986), American NFL football fullback
Margaret Hillis (1921-1998), American conductor, founder and first director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus
Malcolm David "Mack" Hillis (1901-1961), American Major League Baseball second baseman
Elwood Haynes "Bud" Hillis (b. 1926), American politician, former U.S. Representative from Indiana
Charles Richard "Dick" Hillis (1913-2005), American Protestant Christian missionary to China
David Hillis (b. 1958), Danish-born, American herpetologist and systematic biologist
Ron Hillis (b. 1906), Australian rules footballer

Historic Events for the Hillis family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Frank DeLancy Hillis (1864-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 3
Miss Laurie Cameron Hillis (1912-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 3
Mr. James Burton Hillis (1882-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 3
Mrs. Helen Hillis (1887-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 3
Miss Jean Cameron Hillis (1917-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 3

Citations +

"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)
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance