Contents [hide]

Hawley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Hawley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Hawley reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hawley family lived in Hawley, Somerset. The most probable derivation of this name suggests that it comes from the Old Norman word haugr, which means mound, and the Old English leah, which means clearing. Another derivation supported by some examples suggests that the name indicates tat the name is an Anglicized version of the place-name La Haule-De-Bec in Greteuil, Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Hawley family

The surname Hawley was first found in Somerset, where Warin de Haulla is mentioned in 1154 and in 1165, he held a barony of eight fees in Devon. 2

Later in Yorkshire, Robert de Hallai was listed in 1166. And later again, John Hally was found in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire in 1230. 3

It is from this latter entry that the famed astronomer Edmund Halley (1656-1742) hailed. While he was born in London, his rich father was "a member of a good Derbyshire family, had a soap-boiling establishment in Winchester Street in the city of London." 4

Turning the clock back again, we found the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had the following entries for the family: William de Hallee, Gloucestershire; John de Hally, Derbyshire; William de Hally, Derbyshire; and John Hally, Derbyshire. 5

Indeed, "Derbyshire seems to be the home of the Halleys. " 5

The same source claims the "Haleys of Yorkshire are a different stock, but I cannot identify the locality whence they are sprung." 5

And he goes on to note that Petrus Haley, Oxfordshire was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 and that Johannes de Haylay and Willelmus Havlay were listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5

In our opinion, making such a distinction of names that phonetically sound the same but have small spelling differences is often incongruent. Moreover, none of the other sources make this claim.

Further to the north in Scotland, the records of the family are late. "William Hally in Perth, 1666, John Hally, portioner of Balbrogo, 1700. Seventeen persons of this name are recorded in the Dunblane Commissariot Record from 1602. " 6

But this same authority postulates that the name may also be "from Hailey in Deerness, Orkney. Thomas Halle, tacksman there, 1509." 6

Early History of the Hawley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hawley research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1340, 1350, 1374, 1390, 1393, 1394, 1401, 1402, 1404, 1408, 1509, 1511, 1557, 1603, 1629, 1644, 1645, 1646, 1650, 1656, 1673, 1679, 1684, 1690, 1694, 1695, 1702, 1705, 1716, 1719, 1742, 1743, 1759, 1772, 1790 and 1868 are included under the topic Early Hawley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawley Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hawley family name include Hawley, Hawly and others.

Early Notables of the Hawley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Hawley (Hauley) (c.1340 or 1350-1408), Mayor of Dartmouth on fourteen occasions between 1374 and 1401 and elected MP for Dartmouth in 1390, 1393, 1394, and 1402, both a merchant and licensed priv...
Baron Hawley, of Donsmore, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 8 July 1646 for Sir Francis Hawley, 1st Baronet, a supporter of Charles I, former Baronet of Buckland in the County...

Hawley Ranking

In the United States, the name Hawley is the 2,086^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 7

Hawley migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Hawley family to immigrate North America:

Hawley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Hawley, who arrived in Connecticut in 1629-1630 8
Mathew Hawley, who settled in Hingham Massachusetts in 1630
Mr. Jerome Hawley, who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" 8
Henry Hawley, aged 34, who landed in Virginia in 1635 8
George Hawley, aged 17, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hawley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Hawley, who landed in America in 1765 8

Hawley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Hawley, who arrived in New York in 1839 8
Samuel Hawley, aged 36, who landed in Missouri in 1840 8
Jared Hawley, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
John Hawley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 8

Hawley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hawley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Jehiel Hawley U.E., "Jeheil" (b. 1712) from Arlington, Bennington County, Vermont, USA who died in 1777 on his way to Bath, Ontario c. 1777 married twice having 10 children 10
Mr. John Hawley U.E. (b. 1739) born in North Salem, Westchester County, New York he died before arriving to Canada c. 1783 in New York, married to Abigail Sanford they had 8 children 10
Mr. Martin Hawley U.E. (b. 1764) born in New Milford, Connecticut, USA who settled in Ernest Town [Ernestown], Lennox & Addington, Ontario c. 1784 son of Jeptha Hawley he died in 1844, married to Amy Rogers they had 13 children 10
Mr. Matthew Hawley U.E. from Woodbury, Connecticut, USA who settled in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia c. 1784 then Mabou, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia arriving aboard the ship "Argo" 10
Mr. Matthew Hawley Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hawley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Philo Hawley, who landed in Canada in 1830
Jesse B Hawley, who landed in Canada in 1834

Hawley migration to Australia +

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

Hawley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Hawley, English convict from Nottingham, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
Mr. William Hawley who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Joseph Hawley, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
William Hawley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Princess Royal" in 1848 14
Francis Hawley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Stebonheath" in 1850 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hawley 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:

Hawley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Agnes Hawley, Scottish settler travelling from Leith aboard the ship "Strathallan" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 8th January 1858 16
Mr. Philip Hawley, (b. 1857), aged 21, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Western Monarch" arriving in New Zealand in 1879 16

Hawley 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. 17

Hawley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mary Hawley, who settled in Barbados in 1677
Henry Hawley, who settled in Barbados in 1678 with his wife Jane

Contemporary Notables of the name Hawley (post 1700) +

Desmond Sanford "Sandy" Hawley CM (b. 1949), Canadian jockey with 6,450 career wins, the first jockey to be voted Canada's Athlete of the Year, inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and the United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1992 18
Edmund Summers "Kip" Hawley III (1953-2022), American government official and business executive, 4th Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (2005-2009)
Michael Jerome Hawley (1961-2020), American academic and artist working in the field of digital media
Elizabeth Hawley (1923-2018), American former journalist and chronicler of Himalayan expeditions
Robert Hawley (1729-1799), from Trumbull, Connecticut, American captain and privateer during American Revolutionary War
James H. Hawley (1847-1929), American politician, Governor of Idaho
Jack Hawley (1920-1999), American politician
Gideon Hawley (1727-1807), American missionary to the Iroquois Indians
Dwight Spencer Hawley (1896-1981), American politician, Member of the Washington House of Representatives for the 44th district (1950-1971)
Colin Hawley (b. 1987), American rugby union wing for the United States National Team (2010-2013)
... (Another 34 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hawley family +

Hillsborough disaster

David Hawley (1950-1989), English car mechanic who was attending the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium, in Sheffield, Yorkshire when the stand allocated area became overcrowded and 96 people were crushed in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster and he died from his injuries 19

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PRINCESS ROYAL 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848PrincessRoyal.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The STEBONHEATH 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Stebonheath.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Sanford Hawley. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Sanford Hawley. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hawley
Hillsborough Victims (retreived 21st March 2021). Retreived from https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/remembering-96-victims-hillsborough-disaster-30-years-9206566/