Show ContentsAllis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Allis was first brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is matronymic in origin, deriving from the name of the mother of the original bearer. This name is derived from the Old French personal names "Aalis" or "Aliz," which are diminutives of the Old Germanic "Adalhaidis," meaning "noble person."

Early Origins of the Allis family

The surname Allis was first found in the northeastern counties of England, where it occurred fairly frequently as a personal name in the years immediately following the Norman Conquest. The first known bearer of the surname was Willelmus filius Alis, who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1214.

Early History of the Allis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Allis research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1219, 1221 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Allis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Allis Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Alis, Alise, Allies, Allis, Alliss, Allish, Alais, Hallis and many more.

Early Notables of the Allis family

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

Allis Ranking

In the United States, the name Allis is the 17,069th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Allis family to Ireland

Some of the Allis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Allis migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Allis or a variant listed above:

Allis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Allis, who landed in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1630 2
  • Richard Allis, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" 2
  • Tho Allis, aged 33, who landed in Virginia in 1635 2
  • William Allis, who arrived in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1640 2
  • Margtt Allis, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Allis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Maria Allis, aged 30, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1807 2
  • Nicholas Allis, aged 2, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1807 2
  • Barbary Allis, aged 5, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1807 2
  • Henry Allis, aged 12, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1807 2
  • Jacinto Allis, aged 20, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1823 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Allis migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3
Allis Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • John Allis, aged 23, who arrived in St Christopher in 1634 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Allis (post 1700) +

  • Charles David Allis (1951-2023), American molecular biologist, Joy and Jack Fishman Professor and head of the Laboratory of Chromatin Biology and Epigenetics at The Rockefeller University
  • William Phelps Allis (1901-1999), American theoretical physicist specializing in electrical discharges in gases, co-founder of Allis-Chalmers
  • Oswald Thompson Allis (1880-1973), American theologian
  • Louis Allis (1916-1994), American industrialist and Wisconsin Secretary of State
  • John Allis (b. 1942), American cyclist, United States National Road Race Champion (1974)


The Allis 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: Vincit veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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