Show ContentsElcan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Elcan family

The surname Elcan was first found in Devon at Ellacombe, a place under the Haldon Hills, where the 'de Ellacombes' were resident in 1306 1

In Wiltshire, Elcombe dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Elecome. 2 Literally, the place name means "valley where elder trees grow," or "valley of a man called Ella." 3

More recently it is a "tything, in the parish of Wroughton, union of Highworth and Swindon, hundred of Elstub and Everley" 4 but now is a hamlet in Wroughton.

Early History of the Elcan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elcan research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1790, 1816, 1835, 1850 and 1885 are included under the topic Early Elcan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elcan Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Elcan has been spelled many different ways, including Ellacombe, Ellicombe, Ellicomb, Ellacomb, Elcom, Elcum, Elcomb, Elacombe, Elacomb, Ellcum and many more.

Early Notables of the Elcan family

Distinguished members of the family include Henry Thomas Ellacombe or Ellicombe (1790-1885), English divine and antiquary, son of the Rev. William Ellicombe, rector of Alphington, Devonshire. He originally "applied himself until 1816 to the study of engineering in Chatham Dockyard, under the direction of Brunel. In 1816 he proceeded to the degree of M.A., and was ordained for the curacy of Cricklade, a Wiltshire parish in the diocese of Gloucester. In...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elcan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Elcan family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Elcans to arrive in North America: settlers, who arrived along the eastern seaboard, from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands.


Contemporary Notables of the name Elcan (post 1700) +

  • Elcan Heydenfeldt, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 6th District, 1853, 1853-54 5


The Elcan 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: Nulla fraus tuta latebris
Motto Translation: No deceit is safe in its hiding place.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook