Headay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Headay is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the parish of Headon, which is in the diocese of Southwell in Nottinghamshire, or in the parish of Hedon, which is in the diocese of York in Yorkshire. The surname Headay belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Headay family

The surname Headay was first found in Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, where evidence suggests they held a family seat before the Norman Conquest.

Early History of the Headay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Headay research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Headay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Headay Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Headay family name include Heading, Headen, Headon, Hedding, Heddon, Hedon, Hedin, Hedden and many more.

Early Notables of the Headay family

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

Migration of the Headay family to Ireland

Some of the Headay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Headay family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Headay surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Sarah Heading, who sailed to Barbados in 1659; Richard Hedon to New England in 1684; William Heddon to Georgia in 1753; E. Hedding to New York at the age of 70 in 1823.