Eeles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the name Eeles date back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence on an island. The surname Eeles is derived from the Old French word isle, which means island and has become the modern French word île. The surname Eeles belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. However, the name Eeles may also be a patronymic surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal names Æl or Æthel.

Early Origins of the Eeles family

The surname Eeles was first found in Somerset 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.

Early History of the Eeles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eeles research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1338, 1679, 1683, 1688, 1703, 1713, 1715, 1716, 1721, 1727, 1734, 1735 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Eeles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eeles Spelling Variations

Eeles has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Eeles have been found, including Eyles, Eeles, Eels, Eylers and others.

Early Notables of the Eeles family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir John Eyles, Lord Mayor of London; John Eyles (died 1703), of Great St. Helens, London and Southbroom, near Devizes, Wiltshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Devizes in 1679; Sir Francis Eyles, 1st Baronet (died 1716), Governor of the Bank of England; and his son, Sir John Eyles, 2nd Baronet (1683-1745) of Gidea Hall, Essex, a British financier. He served as a director of the Bank of...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Eeles Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eeles migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Eeless to arrive on North American shores:

Eeles Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nathaniel Eeles, who arrived in Virginia in 1618 1
Henry Eeles, aged 26, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Merchant's Hope" 1

Eeles migration to Australia +

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

Eeles Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph Eeles, English convict from Oxford, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 2
Isabella Eeles, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Bee"

Eeles 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

Eeles Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Edward Eeles, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Eeles (post 1700) +

Ernest Eeles, American politician, Mayor of Lawndale, California, 1963-64 5
Eeles Enok Landström (1932-2022), Finnish pole vaulter, a member of the Finnish parliament, and a business executive, winner of two European titles, in 1954 and 1958, and competed at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics

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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html