Binkley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Binkley family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in the parish and market town of Bingley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Early Origins of the Binkley family

The surname Binkley was first found in West Yorkshire at Bingley, a market town that is now in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford. The town dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Bingelei 1 and probably meant "woodland clearing of the family or followers of a man called Bynna," from the Old English personal name + "inga" + "leah." 2

Early History of the Binkley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Binkley research. Another 57 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1273 is included under the topic Early Binkley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Binkley Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Binkley include Bingley, Bingler, Bingly and others.

Early Notables of the Binkley family

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

Binkley Ranking

In the United States, the name Binkley is the 4,209^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Binkley family to Ireland

Some of the Binkley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Binkley family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Binkley or a variant listed above: William Bingley who settled in Newbury Massachusetts in 1659; John Bingley settled in New England in 1765; Peter Bingly arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1736..

Contemporary Notables of the name Binkley (post 1700) +

Howell Binkley (d. 2020), American two-time Tony award winning lighting designer, known for his work on Jersey Boys in 2006, and Hamilton in 2016
John T. Binkley (b. 1943), American theatre and television writer-director-producer
Thomas Binkley (1931-1995), American lutenist and early music scholar
Greg Binkley (b. 1963), American television actor
Leslie John "Les" Binkley (b. 1934), Canadian former professional ice hockey player

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/