Contents [hide]

Carlile History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Carlile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

It was in the Scottish/English Borderlands that the Strathclyde-Briton people first used the ancient name Carlile. It was a name for someone who lived in the city of Carlisle in the county of Cumberland.

Early Origins of the Carlile family

The surname Carlile was first found in Cumberland, at Carlisle. "It was anciently called Caer-Luil, or Caer Leol, signifying "the city of Luil," a British potentate, who is reputed to have been its founder. The Romans, on selecting it for a station, changed the name to Lugovallum, which is probably derived from Lugus or Lucu, a "tower" or "fort," in the Celtic tongue, and Vallum, in allusion to Adrian's vallum, which passed near. From its earliest foundation till the union of the English and Scottish kingdoms, the town suffered those shocks of incursive warfare to which, as a border town, it was peculiarly exposed, and by which it was repeatedly overwhelmed. " 1

"The surname crossed the Border, the spelling undergoing slight changes. Still it is easy to see that Thomas Carlyle was born and brought up not very far from the city whence his ancestors originally sprang." 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 pointed to the wide spelling variations that were in use at that time: Thomas de Carlell; Willelmus de Karleyll, osllr; and Walterus de Carlhill. 2

Slightly further to the north in Scotland, "the first of the name who appears in Scotland is Odard de Carlyle, who witnessed a charter by Uchtred, son of Fergus, lord of Galloway, to the Hospital of St. Peter at York between 1158-1164. He appears to have also held the land of Hoddam as he is described as Odard de Hodelme. Evdone de Karleolo or Eudo de Karliol, c. 1207, was witness to a charter by Eustace de Vescy of 20l. per annum out of the mill of Sprouiston to the Abbey of Kelso." 3

Early History of the Carlile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carlile research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1551, 1593, 1622, 1629, 1664, 1680, 1682, 1691, 1795, 1881 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Carlile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carlile Spelling Variations

Scribes in Medieval Scotland spelled names by sound rather than any set of rules, so an enormous number of spelling variations exist in names of that era. Carlile has been spelled Carlisle, Carlysle, Carleill, Carlyle, Carlile, Carliell and many more.

Early Notables of the Carlile family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Anne Carlile or Carlisle (d. 1680?), was an English artist who "was largely employed in copying the paintings of the Italian masters, and in reproducing these in miniature; an Charles I was so warm an...
James Carlile S (d. 1691), was an English actor and dramatist, a native of Lancashire, and joined the company at Drury Lane at some time previous to 1682. 4

Carlile Ranking

In the United States, the name Carlile is the 7,350^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Carlile family to Ireland

Some of the Carlile family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carlile migration to the United States +

The number of Strathclyde Clan families sailing for North America increased steadily as the persecution continued. In the colonies, they could find not only freedom from the iron hand of the English government, but land to settle on. The American War of Independence allowed many of these settlers to prove their independence, while some chose to go to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Scots played essential roles in the forging of both great nations. Among them:

Carlile Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Carlile, who landed in Maryland in 1676 6

Carlile Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Carlile, aged 23, who arrived in North Carolina in 1813 6
Louis Carlile, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6

Carlile Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Fanny Carlile, aged 56, who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool, in 1900
And. S. Carlile, aged 56, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1900
Frances Carlile, aged 9, who landed in America from London, in 1904
Edward Hildred Carlile, aged 59, who landed in America from Hertford, England, in 1911
Hildred S. Carlile, aged 60, who settled in America from Hadfield, England, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Carlile (post 1700) +

Brandi Marie Carlile (b. 1981), American singer-songwriter, born in Ravensdale, Washington, who has received nine Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards
Clancy Carlile (1930-1998), American novelist and screenwriter of Cherokee descent
John Snyder Carlile (1817-1878), American merchant, lawyer, and politician
Austin Robert Carlile, American musician
William B. Carlile, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Chicago, Illinois, 1917-21 7
John Snyder Carlile (1817-1878), American politician, Member of Virginia State Senate, 1847-51; Delegate to Virginia State Constitutional Convention, 1850; U.S. Representative from Virginia 11th District, 1855-57, 1861 7
James N. Carlile, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1888; Colorado State Treasurer, 1891-92 7
James Carlile (1795-1841), Scottish clergy man from Paisley
Forbes Carlile MBE (1921-2016), Australian swimming coach and first Australian competitor in the modern pentathlon at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Alexander Charles Carlile QC (b. 1948), Baron Carlile of Berriew, Liberal Democrat member of the British House of Lords
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Carlile family +

Hillsborough disaster

Paul William Carlile (1969-1989), English plasterer who was attending the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium, in Sheffield, Yorkshire when the stand allocated area became overcrowded and 96 people were crushed in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster and he died from his injuries 8

The Carlile 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: Humilitate
Motto Translation: With humility.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Hillsborough Victims (retreived 21st March 2021). Retreived from https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/remembering-96-victims-hillsborough-disaster-30-years-9206566/