Contents [hide]

Shelly History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Shelly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the Shelly family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Sussex having derived from the Old English word shelf, meaning a wooded clearing on a ledge or plateau, and indicates that the original bearer lived near such a landmark. (smith)

Following the Norman line "genealogists assert that the Sheeleys 'came out of France with William the Conqueror.' Seulle, Shevels, or Sheuile, is found in the lists called the Roll of Battel Abbey." 2

Early Origins of the Shelly family

The surname Shelly was first found in Sussex where "there is no doubt of the antiquity of the house of Shelley, the accounts of the earlier descents of the family are very scanty. Originally of the county of Huntingdon, [now Cambridgeshire] the Shelleys are said to have removed into this county at a very early period." 3

The earliest record of the name was John and Thomas Shelley who followed the fortunes of Richard II and were subsequently beheaded in the first year of Henry IV's rule. The remaining brother who was not connected, retained his possessions. 3

The Pipe Rolls for Suffolk included two entries for the family with very early spellings: Matilda de Selleg, Richard de Selueleg, there in 1201. Years later, Henry de Schellay was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297 and later Roger de Shelley was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. The Feet of Fines for Surrey for 1473 included and entry for John Shelley. 4

Early History of the Shelly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shelly research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1297, 1480, 1513, 1526, 1549, 1567, 1589, 1644, 1666 and 1736 are included under the topic Early Shelly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shelly Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Shelly, Shelley and others.

Early Notables of the Shelly family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Shelley (1480-1549), and English judge, the eldest son of Sir John Shelley (died 1526): Sir Richard Shelley (1513?-1589?), last grand prior of the knights of St. John in England, second...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shelly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shelly Ranking

In the United States, the name Shelly is the 4,711^st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Shelly migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Shelly name or one of its variants:

Shelly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Shelly, who was aboard the ship "Sea Venture" who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, they managed to build a new ship to continue to Jamestown in 1610. 6
Roger Shelly, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 6
Edward Shelly, who landed in Maryland in 1640-1648 6
Mathew Shelly, who arrived in Maryland in 1649-1652 6
Edw Shelly, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Shelly Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christian Shelly, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 6
Abraham Shelly, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 6

Shelly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Shelly, aged 25, who arrived in Missouri in 1845 6
Malick Shelly, aged 30, who landed in Missouri in 1849 6
John Shelly, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
Mrs. Shelly, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
Andy Shelly, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1854 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Shelly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Shelly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Joanna Shelly, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1830
Ezra Shelly, who arrived in Canada in 1838
Miss. Bridget Shelly, aged 3 months who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Champion" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 7
Mr. Denis Shelly, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Sir Henry Pottinger" departing from the port of Belfast, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 7
Mr. John Shelly, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Jessie" departing from the port of Cork, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Shelly migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Shelly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Margaret Shelly, aged 31, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Lysander" 8

Shelly 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:

Shelly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Shelly, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1843
George Shelly, aged 32, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1878
Ann Shelly, aged 31, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1878
George Shelly, aged 11, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1878
Rose Shelly, aged 9, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1878
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Shelly (post 1700) +

Ida Shelly (b. 1935), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 2004 9
Adrienne Shelly (1966-2006), American actress, director, and screenwriter
Tony Shelly, New Zealand, race car (Formula One) driver
Shelly Ann D. Bates, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 2008
Shelly Lee Leffingwell (b. 1939), American politician, Mayor of Austin, Texas (2009)
Shelly Manne (1920-1984), born Sheldon Manne, an American jazz drummer
Shelly Finkel (b. 1944), American boxing and music manager and promoter
Shelly Lee Alley (1894-1964), American country singer/songwriter
Shelly Berg (b. 1955), American jazz pianist and educator
Shelly Stokes, American softball player

The Shelly Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fey e fidalgia
Motto Translation: Faith and fidelity

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 55)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LYSANDER 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Lysander.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html