Contents [hide]

Turley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Turley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Turley was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Turley family lived in Suffolk, at Thurlow which was in turn derived from the Old English word tryohlaw, meaning dweller by the hill.

Early Origins of the Turley family

The surname Turley was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Thurlow. Conjecturally, they are descended from Godric, the holder of the King's lands of Great and Little Thurlow at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, a census initiated by King William, Duke of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066. The village at that time consisted of a Church and 33 goats. Today Little Thurlow is a village and civil parish in the St Edmundsbury district and has a population of about 230 as of 2005.

One of the first records of the family was John de Thorlow, Throwklow or Trokelowe (fl. 1330), an early English chronicler and monk of St. Albans. A monk of that name was also in the priory of Tynemouth, Northumberland. 1

Early History of the Turley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Turley research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1616, 1668, 1775 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Turley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turley Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Thurlow, Thurlough, Thurlowe, Thurloe, Thurlo, Thurlows, Thurles and many more.

Early Notables of the Turley family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Turley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turley Ranking

In the United States, the name Turley is the 3,356^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Turley family to Ireland

Some of the Turley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turley migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Turley or a variant listed above:

Turley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Turley, who landed in Maryland in 1674 3
John Turley, who arrived in Maryland in 1676 3
Francis Turley, who settled in Virginia in 1682

Turley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Turley, who arrived in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina from Ireland in 1791 aboard the brig "Hope"

Turley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anne Turley, who arrived in New York city in 1816
Anne Turley, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 3
Eliza Turley, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 3
Sarah Turley, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 3
William Turley, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1835 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Turley migration to Australia +

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

Turley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Turley, English shoe maker who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Abraham Turley, a cordwainer, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. Henry Turley, (b. 1793), aged 41, English cotton spinner who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years for coining, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Miss Agnes Turley, (b. 1831), aged 17, Scottish house maid who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 10th November 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1907 6

Turley 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:

Turley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Edward Turley a labourer, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "City of Dunedin" in 1871 7
George F. Turley, aged 35, a painter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
Harriet Turley, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
Jane S. Turley, aged 1, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
Miss Rose Ann Turley, (b. 1856), aged 23, Scottish general servant, from Dumbartonshire travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 28th August 1879 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Turley (post 1700) +

Stanley Frederick "Stan" Turley (1921-2014), American politician and businessman, Member of the Arizona Senate (1973-1985) and House of Representatives (1965-1973), Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives (1967-1968)
Helen Turley, American winemaker and wine consultant, owner of the Marcassin Vineyard
Kyle Turley (b. 1975), American professional NFL football player
Jonathan Turley (b. 1961), American professor at George Washington University Law School
Jonathan "Jon" Turley (b. 1971), English children's author, born in Worcester
Jack Turley, English drummer with the pop punk band The Fight
Brian Turley, English guitarist with the band Headrush
Thomas B Turley (1845-1910), American politician, United States Senator from Tennessee (1897-1901)
Robert Lee "Bullet Bob" Turley (b. 1930), American Major League Baseball pitcher
James S "Jim" Turley, former CEO of Ernst and Young

Historic Events for the Turley family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. Richard Turley (d. 1912), aged 36, English Greaser from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 9

The Turley 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: Justitiae soror fides
Motto Translation: Fidelity is the sister of justice.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 9th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html