Show ContentsEllinwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the name Ellinwood date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence in Cambridgeshire, where they derived their name from the place-name Elsworth. The place-name is derived from the Old English personal name Eli and worth, an Old English word for farm. The place-name translated literally as Eli's farm. 1

Early Origins of the Ellinwood family

The surname Ellinwood was first found in Cambridgeshire at Elsworth, a parish, in the union of Caxton and Arrington, hundred of Papworth. An ancient Saxon village, it dates back to 974 when it was first listed as Eleswurth. 1 By the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name had evolved to Elesuuorde. 2 Elworth is a village and a suburb of Sandbach, Cheshire but is rather recent in history so as to be an unlikely origin of the surname. Elworthy is a small village and civil parish in the Brendon Hills area of Somerset. 3

Early History of the Ellinwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellinwood research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1280, 1400, 1600 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Ellinwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellinwood Spelling Variations

Ellinwood has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Ellinwood have been found, including Ellesworth, Elsworth, Ellsworth, Elisworth, Ellisworth, Elsworthy and many more.

Early Notables of the Ellinwood family

More information is included under the topic Early Ellinwood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ellinwood family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Ellinwoods to arrive on North American shores: Josiah Ellsworth who settled in New England in 1620 and purchased land there. The Ellsworths were among the first settlers to land in the New World. Later David Ellsworth landed in Massachusetts and moved to Boston in 1767. By 1852 John Ellsworth had traveled across the states to settle in San Francisco..


Contemporary Notables of the name Ellinwood (post 1700) +

  • Alexander Preston Ellinwood (1833-1900), American businessman, teacher, and politician, Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (1878-1879)
  • Florence Ellinwood Allen (1884-1966), American jurist and feminist, Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1959-1966), Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1958-1959), inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2005


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


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