Idle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Idle comes from the family having resided in the region of Idle at Calverley in Yorkshire. Idle is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Idle family

The surname Idle was first found in Herefordshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Idle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Idle research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1193, 1202, 1363, 1379, 1401, 1410, 1455 and 1681 are included under the topic Early Idle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Idle Spelling Variations

Idle has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Idle, Idell, Idel, Idelle, Idil, Idill, Idille, Idylle, Idyll, Ydile and many more.

Early Notables of the Idle family

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

Idle migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Idles to arrive on North American shores:

Idle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Henerich Idle, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1794 1

Idle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Christian Idle, who immigrated to Texas in 1846

Idle 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:

Idle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Idle, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wairoa" in 1880

Citations +

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)