Show ContentsFlythe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname is one of the many surnames of French origin that can be found in England. The surname Flythe is derived from "Flageum," a French village named for Flavius, the owner of an estate in the region. This village eventually became known as "Flagi" (pronounced "flah-hee"). The surname Flythe was first borne by emigrants from this region to England.

Early Origins of the Flythe family

The surname Flythe was first found in Hampshire, where the ancestral home of the Flythe family is thought to be located. The name was first borne by brothers known as "de Flagi" who had immigrated from the region of Flagi in France.

Early History of the Flythe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flythe research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1160 and 1726 are included under the topic Early Flythe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flythe Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Fly, Flye, Flythe and others.

Early Notables of the Flythe family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Captain William Fly (d. 1726), who became a pirate after leading a mutiny on a slave ship, killing the captain and renaming the ship "Fame's Revenge." He plundered several ships along the coast of New England and...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Flythe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flythe Ranking

In the United States, the name Flythe is the 15,840th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Flythe family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Flythe or a variant listed above: John Fly and his brothers Enoch and Jeremiah, who emigrated from England to Virginia in 1637; Mathew Fly and Thomas Fly, who both settled in Virginia in 1663.


Contemporary Notables of the name Flythe (post 1700) +

  • Stuart McGuire "Stu" Flythe (1911-1963), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1936 season
  • Dawn Flythe, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 2004 2


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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