Show ContentsElsberry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Elsberry family

The surname ElsBerry was first found in the East Riding of Yorkshire at Ellerby, a civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Elwordebi at that time. [1] The name literally meant "farmstead or village of a man called Aelfweard" from the Old English personal name + the Scandinavian word "by." [2] Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Ellerby, held, according to the men of Holderness, by William Malet, a Norman Baron, Viscount of Arques, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. The site now is moated and is called Old Ellerby, near Wood Hall. New Ellerby is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Together with Old Ellerby it forms the civil parish of Ellerby. Allerby is a hamlet in Cumbria, England and there is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire named Ellerby. Ellerbeck is a small village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Elrebec. [1]

Early History of the Elsberry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elsberry research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1385 and 1410 are included under the topic Early Elsberry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elsberry Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Ellerby, Ellarby, Ellerbie, Ellerbe, Ellarbie, Ellaby, Elleby, Ellebie, Ellabie, Elerbee, Elerby, Elerbie, Elarby, Elarbie, Elarbee, Allerby and many more.

Early Notables of the Elsberry family

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

Elsberry Ranking

In the United States, the name Elsberry is the 16,961st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [3]

Migration of the ElsBerry family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Elsberry or a variant listed above: Eliz Ellerby, who came to Virginia in 1689; Robert Ellerbey, who came to Nova Scotia in 1750; Edward Ellerby, who arrived in New York, NY in 1822; Heinrich Ellerbeck, who arrived in New Orleans in 1867.


Contemporary Notables of the name ElsBerry (post 1700) +

  • Robert T. Elsberry, American founder of Elsberry, a city in Lincoln County, Missouri in 1871
  • Dr. Wesley Royce Elsberry (b. 1960), American marine biologist


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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