Pelly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The distinguished surname Pelly emerged among the industrious people of Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. One of the most common classes of surname is the patronymic surname, which was usually derived from the first name of the person's father. Flemish surnames of this type are often characterized by the diminutive suffix -kin, which became very frequent in England during the 14th century. The surname Pelly is derived from a pet form of the personal name Peter.

Early Origins of the Pelly family

The surname Pelly was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Pelly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pelly research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1608, 1611, 1634, 1654, 1658, 1662, 1669, 1685, 1698, 1777 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Pelly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pelly Spelling Variations

Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Pell, Pelle, Pel, Pels, Pells, Pelles and others.

Early Notables of the Pelly family

Prominent in the family at this time was

Sir John Henry Pelly, 1st Baronet Pelly (1777-1852) Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), for three decades, Governor of the Bank of England

Pelly migration to the United States +

A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Pelly:

Pelly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Pelly, who landed in Maryland in 1663 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Pelly (post 1700) +

Thomas Minor Pelly (1902-1973), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington (1953-1973)
Sir John Henry Pelly (1809-1864), 2nd Baronet of Upton, 17th Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) (1822-1852), Governor of the Bank of England (1841-1842), eponym of Fort Pelly, Saskatchewan
Wilma Pelly (b. 1937), Canadian film and television actress, best known for her role as Elsie Tsa'Che in the CBC Television drama North of 60
Wing Commander Blake Raymond Pelly OBE (1907-1990), Australian air force officer, biplane fighter ace, politician and businessman, Member for Wollondilly (1950-1957)
Tom Pelly (b. 1936), former Australian rules footballer
Sir Lewis Pelly KCSI (1825-1892), British Conservative Member of Parliament for Hackney North (1885-1892), nephew of Sir John Henry Pelly
Air Chief Marshal Sir Claude Bernard Raymond Pelly GBE, KCB, MC, ADC, RAF (1902-1972), British senior commander in the Royal Air Force
Laurent Pelly (b. 1962), French opera and theatre director

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)