Show ContentsWakely History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Wakely is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wakely family lived in Hertfordshire, at the manor of Wakely.

Early Origins of the Wakely family

The surname Wakely was first found in Hertfordshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, conjecturally the family were descended from Ralph of Wakely, a Norman noble, who held his lands from Count Allan and was thus reflected in the Domesday Book Survey of 1086 A.D.

Early History of the Wakely family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wakely research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1600 is included under the topic Early Wakely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wakely Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Wakley, Wakeley, Wakely, Wakelie, Wakelee, Weakley, Wakerley and many more.

Early Notables of the Wakely family

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

Ireland Migration of the Wakely family to Ireland

Some of the Wakely family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Wakely migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Wakely or a variant listed above:

Wakely Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mathew Wakely, who arrived in Virginia in 1644 1
  • Thomas Wakely who settled in Virginia in 1682
Wakely Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Esther Wakely, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 1
Wakely Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Wakely, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1875
  • Ch. Wakely, aged 39, who settled in America, in 1893
  • John Wakely, aged 55, who settled in America, in 1895
Wakely Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • John Wakely, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States from Dublin, in 1904
  • Robert Wakely, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1915
  • Mary Wakely, who immigrated to America from Portadown, Ireland, in 1916
  • Catherine Wakely, aged 40, who landed in America from Station Twn, Wingate, England, in 1920
  • Charles Wakely, aged 41, who landed in America from Leicester, England, in 1920
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Wakely migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wakely Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Wakely Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Libbie A Wakely, aged 47, who immigrated to Lindsay, Canada, in 1912

Australia Wakely migration to Australia +

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

Wakely Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Wakely, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Wakely (post 1700) +

  • James Clarence "Jimmy" Wakely (1914-1982), American country-Western singer, inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971
  • Alex George Wakely (b. 1988), English cricketer
  • Ernest "Ernie" Alfred Linton Wakely (b. 1940), Canadian former professional NHL ice hockey player
  • Sir Leonard Wakely, British Ambassador


  1. 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)
  2. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth


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