Contents [hide]

Traill History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Traill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Scottish Traill surname is most likely a habitational name, taken on from a place name; perhaps from the Gaelic "Traill Creek" which runs into Upper Loch Torridon.

Alternatively, the name could have originated in Normandy, France. In this case they claim descent from " the castle of Trely, in La Manche. "Two barons of this name appear in England, sub-tenants of the great Honour of Verdun."—Sir Francis Palgrave. The Trelys or Traillys are said to have been a branch of the noble family of St. Denis-le-Gast, of whose barony their Norman fief formed part. Lysons mentions them among "the earliest extinct families" that held property in Bedfordshire." 1

Early Origins of the Traill family

The surname Traill was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where they were Lords of the Manor of Yielden and other estates in that shire as shown in the Domesday Book taken in the year 1086. 2

Geoffrey de Traillgi, a knight at the Battle of Hastings, was an under-tenant of the Bishop of Coutances. He was originally from Trelly in the arrondisement of Manche, Coutances in Normandy. Geoffrey also held Teign, in Devon. 3

The family joined the many Norman nobles who moved north into Scotland.

Some of the first records of the family in Scotland include: Thomas Trayle, Canon of Aberdeen in 1366; and Walter Trail (Trayl, or Treyl, or Treyle), of the family of Traill of Blebo in Fife, Bishop of St. Andrews in 1385. 4

Early History of the Traill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Traill research. Another 409 words (29 lines of text) covering the years 1155, 1218, 1219, 1290, 1316, 1350, 1378, 1380, 1395, 1401, 1409, 1523, 1583, 1603, 1642, 1678, 1716, 1765 and 1808 are included under the topic Early Traill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Traill Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Trail, Traill, Trayle, Treil, Trelly, Teign, Pentrail, Traylor and many more.

Early Notables of the Traill family

Notable among the family at this time was Walter Trail (died 1401), late 14th century Bishop of St. Andrews, appears as an official in the Bishopric of Glasgow in 1378, as a Magister Artium and a Licentiate in Canon and civil law, In 1380, he is a doctor in Canon and Civil Law...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Traill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Traill family to Ireland

Some of the Traill family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Traill migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Traill Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Traill, who settled in Maryland in 1684

Traill Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Traill, who arrived in Boston in 1746
Captain Traill, who settled in Boston in 1763
William Traill, aged 15, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1774 5
Jannet Traill, aged 23, who landed in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1775 5

Traill Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Hester Traill, aged 25, who settled in America, in 1904
Hy. W. Traill, aged 38, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1908
Annie Traill, aged 25, who landed in America from Arbroath, Scotland, in 1909
John Traill, aged 33, who settled in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1910
George Traill, aged 3, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Traill 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:

Traill Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Traill, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "James Nicol Fleming" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 22nd August 1872 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Traill (post 1700) +

Phil Traill (b. 1973), American-born, English television and film director
Dr. Thomas Stewart Traill (1781-1862), Scottish professor of medical jurisprudence at the University of Edinburgh 7
George Traill (1787-1871), Scottish politician, Member of Parliament for Orkney & Shetland (1830–1835) and for Caithness (1841-1869)
William Frederick Traill (1838-1905), English first-class cricketer who was active 1858 to 1867
William Henry Traill (1842-1902), Australian journalist and politician, editor and principal proprietor of The Bulletin
William Atcheson Traill (1844-1933), Irish engineer who co-founded the Portrush, Bushmills, and Giant's Causeway Railway and Tramway Company in 1881 with his brother Anthony Traill
Anthony Traill (1838-1914), Irish prelate, Provost of Trinity College, Dublin (1904-1914), High Sheriff of Antrim in 1884
Air Vice-Marshal Thomas Cathcart Traill CB, OBE, DFC (b. 1899), Argentine-born, British naval officer and flying ace credited with eight aerial victories
Ken Traill (1926-2002), English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, and 1950s
John Arthur Edward Traill (1882-1958), first Irish-Argentine 10-goal polo player; he won the Argentine Open 10 times during his career
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Traill 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: Discrimine salus
Motto Translation: Safety in danger.

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019