Staily Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Staily is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in one of the various places called Staveley in the counties of Derbyshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland, and in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Staily belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Staily family

The surname Staily was first found in Derbyshire at Staveley, a town within the borough of Chesterfield which literally means "wood or clearing where staves are got" from the Old English "staef" + "leah." 1 The town was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Stavelie. 2

Staveley is also a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire and this village also dates back to the Domesday Book where it is listed as Stanlei. These are the oldest references to the place name but there are others scattered throughout England.

Some of the family held a family seat at Stalybridge in Cheshire. "The name of Staly, originally Staveleigh, is derived from an ancient family who, in the reign of Edward III., occupied Stayley Hall, a portion of which mansion still remains; the addition arises from a bridge over the Tame, that connects the two counties, and which has been rebuilt." 3

Early History of the Staily family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Staily research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1498, 1613, 1626 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Staily History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Staily Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Staily are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Staily include: Staveley, Stavely, Staley, Stayley, Staveleigh and many more.

Early Notables of the Staily family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Staveley, High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1613; and Thomas Staveley (born 1626), antiquary and church historian of East Langton Leicestershire. William Stayley or Staley (died 1678), was a victim of the 'Popish Plot,' was the son of William Staley, and carried on his father's business as goldsmith and banker in Covent Garden. In September 1678, he was accused of high treason, but was offered to suppress the charge in consideration of the sum of 200 shillings. "The banker laughed at the insolence of the...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Staily Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Staily family to Ireland

Some of the Staily family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Staily migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Staily or a variant listed above:

Staily Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Staily, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 4

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)