Easy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the name Easy began when it was derived from The surname Easy is a patronymic surname, that is, derived from an ancestor's given name. Patronymic surnames belong to the category of hereditary surnames, and they arose out of the vernacular and religious given name traditions. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Vernacular names that were derived from ancient Germanic personal names have cognates in most European languages. For example, the court of Charlemagne (742-814) was Christian and Latin-speaking, but the Frankish dialect of Old German was commonly used for personal names. Vernacular names were widespread throughout Normandy. Accordingly, many typical English and French names are in fact, originally of Germanic origin and often have cognates in other European countries. In this case, family tradition has it that the name is derived from the name Isolde, the wife of Tristram, nephew of the King of Cornwall, of the great Arthurian legends. According to the family tradition, Tristram escaped to Brittany, where he married Isolde, daughter of the Duke of Brittany. Their tragic love affair became the subject of the opera Tristan and Isolde by Wagner. On the other hand, it seems more likely that the name is derived from the Old German word ishild, which meant ice battle.

Early Origins of the Easy family

The surname Easy was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from ancient times, being granted lands in that shire soon after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Traditionally, the family was descended from Isolde, daughter of the Duke of Brittany in the fifth century who later became the wife of Tristram, of the great Arthurian legends, nephew of the King of Cornwall. Tristram escaped to Brittany and their tragic love affair became the subject of an opera by Wagner.

Early History of the Easy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Easy research. Another 172 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1569, 1577, 1599, 1645, 1695 and 1785 are included under the topic Early Easy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Easy Spelling Variations

There are many spelling variations of Breton surnames, because the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find references to one individual with many different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Izzat, Izat, Izatt, Issard, Isoed, Izzatt, Izzard, Izod, Essarts, Isett and many more.

Early Notables of the Easy family

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

Migration of the Easy family to Ireland

Some of the Easy family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Easy migration to the United States +

An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Easy arrived in North America very early:

Easy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ben Easy, aged 13, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas & John" 1
Georg Easy, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 1

Easy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edmund Easy, aged 14, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 1

Easy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Easy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Easy, (b. 1830), aged 28, Cornish labourer departing from Plymouth on 24th March 1858 aboard the ship "Atalanta" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 9th June 1858 2

Citations +

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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf