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England History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

England History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name England has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in a meadow beside water. The surname England originally derived from the Old English word Engelond 1 which referred to a meadow beside a rushing river. As such, the surname is topographic; that is, a name derived from a geographical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. 2

Another source has this theory about the variant England: "It seems quite absurd to have adopted the name of one's country while still residing in it, as a family name; but I am inclined to think that it was first given to an Englishman when living in a foreign country, and that he, on his return, continued to use it. Or, England may possibly be the name of some obscure locality of which the family were anciently possessed, just as the Hollands take their name, not from the land of Dutchmen, but from a district of Lincolnshire. " 3

Another source claims the word England is from the Anglo-Saxon Englaland c. 890 and means "land of the Angles." 4

Early Origins of the England family

The surname England was first found in Yorkshire where some of the first records of the family were found listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. The following entries all denote landholders: Alicia de Ingeland; Isabella Ingeland; Willelmus Ingland; and Robertas Ingland. 2

Looking back further, we found Nicholas de Engelond was listed in the Assize Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1260; and William de Engelond was listed in the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1295. Later, John Ingelond (Engelond) was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Essex in 1327. 5

Early History of the England family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our England research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1560, 1717, 1720, 1721, 1730, 1740, 1748, 1788 and 1814 are included under the topic Early England History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

England 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 England have been found, including England, Englund, Englend and others.

Early Notables of the England family

Distinguished members of the family include

Edward England (died 1721), born Edward Seegar in Ireland, was a famous African coast and Indian Ocean pirate captain from 1717 to 1720. According to Forbes, he was the twelfth highest earning pirate...
George England and George Pike England (his son), were organ-builders. The former nourished between 1740 and 1788, and married the daughter of Richard Bridge; the latter between 1788 and 1814. The eld...

England World Ranking

In the United States, the name England is the 960^th most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 6 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name England is ranked the 780^th most popular surname with an estimated 53 people with that name. 7 And in New Zealand, the name England is the 952^nd popular surname with an estimated 785 people with that name. 8 The United Kingdom ranks England as 740^th with 9,047 people. 9

England migration to the United States +

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 England, or a variant listed above:

England Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John England who was one of the founders of Charlestown Massachusetts in 1620
John England, who settled in Virginia in 1622
Humphrey England and his son settled in Virginia in 1636
Humphry, England Jr., who landed in Virginia in 1637 10
Jon England, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

England Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Cherry England, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1705 10
George England, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 10

England Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James England, who landed in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1808 10
William England, who landed in America in 1812 10
John England, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1822 10
Francis England, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 10
George F England, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

England migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

England Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William England U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 11

England migration to Australia +

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

England Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph England, British Convict who was convicted in Hertfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. George England, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. Richard England, English convict who was convicted in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Aaron England, English convict from Devon, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 15
Mr. George England, English convict who was convicted in Chatham, Kent, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

England 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:

England Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

C England, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1837
Joseph England, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
Charles England, aged 32, a wheelwright, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
Mary A. England, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
George England, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name England (post 1700) +

Sir Richard England (1793-1883), Irish general, son of Lieutenant-general Richard England of Lifford, co. Clare, a veteran of the war of American Independence, colonel of the 5th regiment, lieutenant-governor of Plymouth, and one of the first colonists of Western Upper Canada
Arthur Jay England Jr. (1932-2013), American jurist and lawyer, member of the Florida Supreme Court (1975–1981)
Anthony Wayne "Tony" England (b. 1942), American geochemist and former NASA Astronaut with 188 hours in space 17
Jennifer England (b. 1978), American model and actress 18
Gordon Richard England (b. 1937), American businessman who served as the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense and twice as United States Secretary of the Navy
John B. England, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 17½ aerial victories
Douglas B. England, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1996, 2000 19
Dean England, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Walker, Michigan, 2001 19
Charles England, American politician, Mayor of Grand Prairie, Texas, 1992- 19
Cecil W. England, American politician, First Selectman of Manchester, Connecticut, 1947 19
... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the England family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. William E England, British Signalman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 20

HMS Repulse

Mr. Albert England, British Electrical Artificer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 21

Citations +

Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Anthony England. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/england-aw.html
Jennifer England. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Jennifer England. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jen_England
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html