Contents [hide]

Ellen History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Ellen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the name Ellen began when it was derived from the given name Alan, which is thought to mean "little rock" or "headstone." The name was popular among the Breton followers of William the Conqueror due to St. Alan, a 5th-century bishop from Quimper, Brittany; during the Middle Ages, parents often named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint.

Early Origins of the Ellen family

The surname Ellen was first found in the lands of Shropshire, where Walter FitzAlan of Brittany held a family seat after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The parish of Mileham, Norfolk is of early significance to the family. "This place, at the time of the Conquest, was given to Alan, son of Flaald, and ancestor of the Fitz-Alans, earls of Arundel, who erected a strong castle here, of which some vestiges may still be traced, within the area of an intrenchment of twelve acres; the site of the keep is pointed out by an inner intrenchment by which it was surrounded." 1

Alain de Lille (1114-1203), was "one of the most illustrious scholars of his age, and for his attainments in theology, philosophy, history, poetry, and natural science, acquired the designation of 'Doctor universalis.' His nationality has not been ascertained with unquestioned accuracy. " 2

Alan of Beccles (d. 1240) was official secretary to Bishops Pandulf and Thomas de Blundeville of Norwich between the years 1218 and 1236 and Alan of Tewkesbury, was a writer of the twelfth century, according to the express statement of Gervase of Canterbury, an Englishman by descent. 2

Early History of the Ellen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellen research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1430, 1457, 1532, 1583, 1594, 1596, 1608, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1614, 1621, 1634, 1635, 1637, 1658, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1668, 1671, 1673, 1677, 1681, 1685, 1686, 1692, 1694, 1700, 1705, 1717, 1726, 1738, 1764, 1789 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ellen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellen Spelling Variations

The Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, and therefore, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. 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. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Alan, Allan, Allen, Alleyn, Allayne, Allaine, Allain, Allanach, Allanshaw, MacAllan and many more.

Early Notables of the Ellen family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was William Allen (1532-1594), an English prelate; Francis Allen (ca.1583-1658), an English financier, politician and regicide who sided with parliament in the civil War against Charles I; John Allen, or John Allin (1596-1671) English settler America in 1637-38, one of the founders of Dedham, Massachusetts; Thomas Allen (1608-1673) English nonconformist minister and divine from Norwich; Richard Alleine (1610-1681), an English Puritan divine; Sir Thomas Allin, 1st Baronet (1612-1685), an officer of the Royal Navy; William Alleine (1614-1677), an English minister; John Alleyn or Allen (1621-1663), Cornish politician, MP for St Michael, Cornwall in...
Another 194 words (14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ellen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ellen family to Ireland

Some of the Ellen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 127 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellen migration to the United States +

Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Ellen were among those contributors:

Ellen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Ellen, who landed in Virginia in 1622 3
Nicholas Ellen, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1663 3

Ellen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ulrich Ellen, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1729 3

Ellen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elle Ellen, aged 54, German farmer who arrived in New Orleans in 1846 aboard the ship "Constitution", bound for St. Louis
Fentje Ellen, aged 52, German farmer who arrived in New Orleans in 1846 aboard the ship "Constitution", bound for St. Louis
Mr. Heinr. Ellen, aged 11, German settler who arrived in New Orleans in 1846 aboard the ship "Constitution", bound for St. Louis

Ellen migration to Australia +

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

Ellen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Margaret Ellen, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constance" in 1849 4

Ellen migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ellen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Susanna Ellen, (b. 1834), aged 27, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 5
Mr. William Ellen, (b. 1835), aged 26, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 5
Mr. John Wesley Ellen, (b. 1841), aged 20, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 5
Mr. Valentine Ellen, (b. 1859), aged 2, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 5
Ann L. Ellen, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ellen (post 1700) +

Mary Ellen, American newspaper editor and journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner for editorial writing in 1978
Joseph L. Ellen, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from North Carolina 2nd District, 2002 6
Edward Ellen, American politician, Representative from Pennsylvania 3rd District, 1926 6
Mary Ellen Kimball -Purdham (b. 1929), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, born in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kelsey Ellen Balkwill (b. 1992), Canadian silver medalist athlete
Jane Ellen LaTour (1946-2023), American labor activist, educator, and journalist in New York City, author of Sisters in the Brotherhoods: Working Women Organizing for Equality in New York City, two-time recipient of the Mary Heaton Vorse Award
Sarah Ellen Polley OC (b. 1979), Canadian Academy Award nominated actress, singer, Canadian Screen Award for Best Director Award winning film director and screenwriter from Toronto, Ontario
Judith Ellen Heumann (1947-2023), American disability rights activist, born in Brooklyn, New York
Doreen Ellen Hamilton (1951-2022), née Munholland, Canadian politician, MLA for Regina Wascana Plains (1991-2007), Mayor of Regina, Saskatchewan (1988)
Dr. Mary Ellen Guzzio, American flutist, Assistant Professor of Music at Rhode Island College

Historic Events for the Ellen family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Leonard George Ellen, British Petty Officer Telegraphist, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 7

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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 Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTANCE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Constance.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html