Emily History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Emily has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a leader or ruler. The surname Emily originally derived from the Old English word Amalric which referred to someone who held great power. The surname Emily was part of a broad and miscellaneous class of surnames. Nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

Early Origins of the Emily family

The surname Emily was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire where John de Emlay was listed in 1304. 1 Today Emley or Elmley is a parish, in the Upper and Lower divisions of the wapentake of Agbrigg in Yorkshire. 2

Early History of the Emily family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Emily research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1600, 1617, 1640, 1649, 1657 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Emily History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Emily Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Emily have been found, including Emberley, Emerle, Emerly, Emberly, Emilly and others.

Early Notables of the Emily family

Distinguished members of the family include

Edward Emily (1617-1657), an English physician, the first Harveian orator, admitted to University of Lyeden in 1640, elected Gulstonian lecturer in 1649...
He was the third son of Maximilian Emily of Helmdon, Northamptonshire, and Elizabeth, daughter and coheiress of John Waleston of Ruislip, Middlesex3...

Emily Ranking

In France, the name Emily is the 8,781^st most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Emily family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Emily, or a variant listed above: James Emilly who settled in Charleston in 1832; Michael Emberley settled in St. Christopher in 1685.

Contemporary Notables of the name Emily (post 1700) +

Charles H. Emily, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from East Haddam; Elected 1918 5
Ms. Kate Emily Hardcastle M.B.E., British Founding Partner for Insight with Passion, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Business and Entrepreneurship 6
Mrs. Rebecca Emily Chester M.B.E., British Consultant Nurse and Chair for National Learning Disability Consultant Nurse Network at Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to People with Learning Disabilities 7
Ruth Emily Westbrook (1930-2016), English cricketer who played 11 Test matches for the England women's cricket team between 1957 and 1963
Adele Emily Sandé (b. 1987), British recording artist and songwriter
Theodora Emily Colborn (1927-2014), née Decker, American founder and President Emeritus of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX)
Ruth Emily Gillmore (1899-1976), English-born American stage actress
Eileen Emily Paisley (b. 1934), Baroness Paisley of St George's, née Cassells, a Northern Irish Unionist politician, vice-president of the Democratic Unionist Party, wife of Ian Paisley
Carole Emily Barrowman (b. 1959), Scottish Professor of English and Director of Creative Studies in Writing
Lisa Emily Batey (b. 1978), British lifecaster in Japan

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 4 July 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists