Contents [hide]

Railey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Railey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient history of the Railey name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the village of Raleigh in the county of Devon. This place-name was originally derived from the Old English ra leah meaning a meadow for deer. 1

Early Origins of the Railey family

The surname Railey was first found in Devon where one of the first records of the name was William de Raley (or William de Ralegh or William Raleigh) (died 1250) a medieval judge, administrator and bishop. Born in Devon, he became Bishop of Winchester, "but it is doubtful to which of the four branches of the Devonshire Raleighs he belonged. In 1212 he was presented by King John to the church of Bratton, and was employed in judicial business in Lincolnshire and Cumberland in 1226-1227." 2

"According to Fuller, they derived their name from 'a well-known town' in that county. I cannot discover any town, or even village, so called." 3

However another source provides more clues about the bishop's origin: "Ralegh, Bishop of Winchester, 1244, was born at Ralegh, in the parish of Pilton, the original seat of this famous family. " 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Hugh de Ralegh in Devon; and Warin de Raleghe in Somerset. 5

Early History of the Railey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Railey research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1552, 1586, 1597, 1600, 1605, 1618, 1626, 1641, 1646, 1659 and 1666 are included under the topic Early Railey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Railey 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 Railey include Raleigh, Rawleigh, Rawley, Rawle, Rawles and others.

Early Notables of the Railey family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618), a court favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, known for his expeditions to the New World; and his second son, Walter Raleigh or Ralegh (1586-1646), an English divine, Dean of Wells from 1641 until his death in a scuffle; and Carew Raleigh or Ralegh (1605-1666), first son of Sir Walter Raleigh...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Railey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Railey Ranking

In the United States, the name Railey is the 7,803^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Railey family to Ireland

Some of the Railey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Railey 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 Railey or a variant listed above:

Railey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Andrew Railey, who landed in Virginia in 1624-1625 7

Railey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Railey, who landed in Virginia in 1702 7

Railey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lewis C Railey, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
O Railey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
T Railey, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Railey (post 1700) +

Paige Railey (b. 1987), American sailor awarded the 2006 ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award and U.S. Sailing's 2006 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year
Zach Railey (b. 1984), American sailor and Olympic athlete
Randolph Railey, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Kentucky State House of Representatives 64th District, 1973 8

Historic Events for the Railey family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Francis David John Railey, British Corporal, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 9

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html