Nitingale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Nitingale

What does the name Nitingale mean?

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought many new words to England from which surnames were formed. Nitingale was one of these new Norman names. It was specifically tailored to its first bearer, who was 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 Nitingale family

The surname Nitingale 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 Nitingale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nitingale 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 Nitingale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nitingale 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 Nightingale, Nightingall, Nightengale and others.

Early Notables of the Nitingale family

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 (b.1947.) The ancestral seat of the Nightingale family...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nitingale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nitingale family to Ireland

Some of the Nitingale 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.

Nitingale migration to the United States +

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 Nitingale or a variant listed above:

Nitingale Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Kathleen Nitingale, who settled in Virginia with her husband in 1649
Rilingale Nitingale, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 4

Sources +

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)