Nightengale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The proud Norman name of Nightengale was developed in England soon after Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It was name for a person with a good singing voice. The name is a metaphor likening the original bearer of the name to the nocturnal songbird called a nightingale. Its name is derived from the Old English words niht, meaning night, and galan, meaning to sing. 1

"The name 'night-in-gale' seems peculiarly inappropriate to the bird that sings in the calmest of midsummer nights. The stormy petrel may be blown upon the gale and the cry of the screeching owl may be heard above the noise of the wind, but this bird, the sweetest singer of the woodland, loves profound silence. We find that the termination 'gale' is from the Anglo-Saxon 'galan,' to sing, we can understand that this is the bird who passes the 'night-in-song.' " 2

Early Origins of the Nightengale family

The surname Nightengale was first found in Gloucestershire where the Pipe Rolls of 1176 list Walter Nichtengale. Later in Bedfordshire, Richard Nihtingale was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1227. In Cambridgeshire, Alan Nightegale was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1260 and in Berkshire, Henry Nitingale was listed there in 1281. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Ralph Niktegale as holding lands in Norfolk at that time. A few years later, Thomas Nightegale was listed in Gloucestershire in 1286 and Andreas Nightyngale, was Member of Parliament for Cricklade, Wiltshire in 1307. 3

Early History of the Nightengale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nightengale research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1627, 1645, 1722, 1765, 1768, 1775, 1787, 1788, 1790, 1793, 1794, 1796, 1799, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1809, 1815, 1820, 1824, 1826, 1829, 1839, 1849 and 1947 are included under the topic Early Nightengale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nightengale Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Nightengale have been found, including Nightingale, Nightingall, Nightengale and others.

Early Notables of the Nightengale family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Nightingale (d.1645), High Sheriff of Essex in 1627. He was the progenitor of the Nightingale Baronetcy of Newport Pond. This baronetcy has continued from the inception to today when Sir Charles Manners Gamaliel Nightingale is the 17th Baronet...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nightengale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nightengale family to Ireland

Some of the Nightengale 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.

Nightengale migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Nightengale were among those contributors:

Nightengale Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Benjamin Nightengale, who landed in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1690 4
William Nightengale, who landed in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1690 4

Nightengale Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W Nightengale, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
James Nightengale, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1856

Nightengale migration to Australia +

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

Nightengale Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Nightengale, (b. 1791), aged 52, English farm labourer who was convicted in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England for 14 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1867 5

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Hargrave, Basil, Origins and Meanings of Popular Phrases & Names. London: T. Werner Laurie Ltd, Cobham House, 24 and 26 Black Friars Lane, 1949. Print
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)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy