Acly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient roots of the Acly family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Acly comes from when the family lived in a clearing surrounded by oak trees. The surname Acly literally means oak-meadow. 1 The surname Acly is associated with the village of Acle in Norfolk, and the village of Akeley in Buckinghamshire.

Early Origins of the Acly family

The surname Acly was first found in Norfolk or Buckinghamshire. Of the two locations, Akeley (Akely) in Buckinghamshire seems to be the strongest place of origin for the surname. Located "in the union, hundred, and county of Buckingham, 2½ miles (N. by E.) from the town of Buckingham," 2

Akeley has remained small over the years as by the late 1800s, it only had a population of 362. 2 However, the parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Achelei. 3

Some of the family were found in Whitworth, Durham in early years. "According to the Boldon book, this manor was held by Thomas de Acley, by the service of a quarter of a knight's fee." 2

Early History of the Acly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Acly research. Another 295 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1500, 1610 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Acly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Acly Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Acly has appeared include Ackley, Acley, Acle, Ackle, Aclie, Acklie, Acly and others.

Early Notables of the Acly family

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

Acly migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Acly arrived in North America very early:

Acly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nicholas Acly, who landed in Connecticut in 1655 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Acly (post 1700) +

Robert Austin Acly (1906-1973), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Montreal, 1930; Tegucigalpa, 1930-35; Strasbourg, 1935; Johannesburg, 1938; U.S. Consul in Johannesburg, 1940-42; Cape Town, 1942-43; Rangoon, 1949 5

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, August 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html