Contents [hide]

Varley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Varley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

This name has predominantly been found in Armagh since the earliest times. However, a more Anglicized form of the name has also been found in Monaghan Hearth Money Rolls in the 17th century. The name is possibly deriving from Irish Mac Giolla Mhuire, Mac Giolla Mhura or Mac Giolla Bhearshúiligh.

Early Origins of the Varley family

The surname Varley was first found in Armagh since before the 17th century. The Mac or Mc prefix is rarely used today but early Gaelic records show the name with this prefix in the aforementioned Monaghan rolls. A literal translation of the Gaelic Mac an Bhallaigh variant is derived from the Gaelic word "ballach" which means "freckled." There is confusion between the use of the "l" and the "r" sound midway through the word. Some believe that both sets of variants come from the same root while others believe that they are different in origin. Nevertheless, both originate in Armagh, but the name has also been seen in County Galway and County Clare on rare occasions.

Early History of the Varley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Varley research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1659, 1660, 1664, 1665 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Varley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Varley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Vallelly, Vallillee, Varrilly, Ilvallely, Ilvelluly, Verrelly, Varley, MacVallelly, MacVarrilly, MacIlvallely and many more.

Early Notables of the Varley family

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

Varley Ranking

In the United States, the name Varley is the 11,932^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Varley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Varley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Varley, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 2
Chr Varley, who landed in Virginia in 1698 2

Varley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Margaretta Varley, who settled in New York State in 1775 with her two children

Varley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bernard Varley, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 2
Joseph Varley, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 2
John Varley, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1860
William Varley, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1874
John B Varley, who arrived in Mississippi in 1889 2

Varley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Varley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Caries Varley, who arrived in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862

Varley migration to Australia +

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

Varley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Varley, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
James Varley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Princess Royal" in 1848 4
Thomas Varley, aged 40, a bricklayer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Telegraph"

Contemporary Notables of the name Varley (post 1700) +

Herbert Paul Varley (b. 1931), American academic, historian, author, and Japanologist
John Herbert Varley (b. 1947), American science fiction author
Val Varley, American Republican politician, Candidate for Texas State Senate 28th District, 1994 5
Damien Varley (b. 1983), Irish rugby union player
Frank Bradley Varley (1885-1929), British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament for Mansfield (1923-1929), President of the Nottinghamshire Miners' Association (1918-1930)
Paul Varley (1949-2008), English musician best known as the drummer in the band Arrows
Shane Varley, New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand (1978-1984)
John Silvester Varley (b. 1956), English banker, and former Group Chief Executive of Barclays Bank
John Varley (1740-1809), English canal engineer from Heanor, Derbyshire
Tom Varley, English collector of steam-powered vehicles known as the Tom Varley Collection based in Lancashire
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Varley family +

RMS Lusitania

Miss Alice Mercy Varley, American 2nd Class passenger from East Northfield, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 6

Citations +

"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PRINCESS ROYAL 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848PrincessRoyal.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/