Show ContentsCorle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the Corle name go back to the ancient Vikings and their Old Norse language. Corle was a name for a the Old Norse word sumarlithi, which means mariner, Viking, summer wanderer, or sailor.

Early Origins of the Corle family

The surname Corle was first found in the island of South Uist, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Descended from Somerled, King of the Vikings, scion of the MacDonald, Lord of the Isles, who died about 1057.

The first record of the name Somerled being used as a name was at Dunkeld, and the link between this person in 1169 and Somerled who had died 100 years before is not clear.

Another source notes that Sumerled or Somerled, Lord of the Isles (d. 1164), was "according to the Celtic tradition, the son of Gillebrede, son of Gilladoman, sixth in descent from Godfrey MacFergus, called in the Irish chronicle Toshach of the Isles; but some suppose him of Norse origin. " [1]

Early History of the Corle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Corle research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1238 and 1400 are included under the topic Early Corle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Corle Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Corle has been spelled Somerled, M'Illurdy, M'Corle, M'Coull, Somerledy and others.

Early Notables of the Corle family

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

Corle Ranking

In the United States, the name Corle is the 13,317th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]


United States Corle migration to the United States +

Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Corle:

Corle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Corle, who arrived in New York in 1849 [3]


The Corle 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: Per Mare Per Terras
Motto Translation: By sea and by land.


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)


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