Contents [hide]

Wylie History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Wylie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The roots of the name Wylie are found among the Strathclyde-Briton people of the ancient Scottish/English Borderlands. Wylie was originally found in Dumfries where today more often than not, the name is typically spelt either Wylie or Wyllie. 1

Early Origins of the Wylie family

The surname Wylie was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), where the first on record was Donald Wyly, tenant of Thornhill, Dumfriesshire, 1376. Later, John Wili held a land in Montrose, 1431, and Robert Wylye was vicar of Kilcoldrum, 1434. William Wyly, was a witness in Prestwick, Ayrshire, 1446, Robert Wyly, was a charter witness in Glasgow, 1454, and Richard Wyly, was vicar of Dundee in 1458. 1

Early History of the Wylie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wylie research. Another 218 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1509, 1529, 1530, 1550, 1563, 1575, 1590, 1642, 1643, 1645, 1653, 1659, 1680, 1768, 1772, 1790, 1794, 1799, 1801, 1802, 1808, 1819, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1831, 1833, 1835, 1839, 1841, 1847, 1850, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1862, 1865, 1870, 1871, 1890 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Wylie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wylie Spelling Variations

In the era before dictionaries, there were no rules governing the spelling or translation of names or any other words. Consequently, there are an enormous number of spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names. Wylie has appeared as Wiley, Wylie, Whyley, Wyley, Wilie, Wyllie and others.

Early Notables of the Wylie family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Sir James Wylie (1768-1854), Scottish physician at the court of Russia, was born at Kincardine-on-Forth in 1768. His parents (William Wylie and Janet Meiklejohn) were in a humble position. He received...

Wylie Ranking

In the United States, the name Wylie is the 2,905^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2 However, in New Zealand, the name Wylie is ranked the 621^st most popular surname with an estimated 1,151 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Wylie family to Ireland

Some of the Wylie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wylie migration to the United States +

The freedom, opportunity, and land of the North American colonies beckoned. There, Scots found a place where they were generally free from persecution and where they could go on to become important players in the birth of new nations. Some fought in the American War of Independence, while others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these Scottish settlers have been able to recover their lost national heritage in the last century through highland games and Clan societies in North America. Among them:

Wylie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. John Wylie, (b. 1610), aged 25, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Elizabeth and Anne" arriving in Massachusetts Bay (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire) in 1635 4
Thomas Wylie, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 5

Wylie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Wylie, who arrived in New England in 1740 5

Wylie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Wylie, who landed in New York in 1804 5
Samuel Wylie, who landed in South Carolina in 1808 5
Richard Wylie, who landed in South Carolina in 1808 5
John Wylie, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1810 5
Rachel Wylie, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wylie migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wylie Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edward Wylie, aged 14, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Condor" in 1838
Miss. Ann Wylie, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "New York Packet" departing 24th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 29th June 1847 but she died on board 6

Wylie migration to Australia +

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

Wylie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Wylie, Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Thomas Wylie, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
David Wylie, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 9
Elizabeth Wylie, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 9
Benjamin Wylie, aged Euphemia, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairfield" in 1839 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wylie migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wylie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Andrew Wylie, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Brougham
James Wylie, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842
A. Wylie, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Brougham" in 1842
Mr. Hugh Wylie, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Black Eagle" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th November 1861 11
Hugh Wylie, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Black Eagle" in 1861 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wylie (post 1700) +

Devon Wylie (1988-2023), American football wide receiver
Richard Wayne "Popcorn" Wylie (1939-2008), American pianist, bandleader, songwriter, singer, and record producer
Ida Alexa Ross Wylie (1885-1959), known by her pen name I. A. R. Wylie, an Australian-born British and American novelist, screenwriter, short story writer, and poet
Chalmers Pangburn Wylie (1920-1998), American politician and lawyer, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1967-1993)
Adam Augustus Wylie (b. 1984), American television and motion picture actor, and voice over artist, best known for his work on The Swan Princess and All Dogs Go to Heaven 2
Philip Gordon Wylie (1902-1971), American pulp fiction writer, probably best known for his co-written When Worlds Collide (1933) which inspired Alex Raymond's comic strip Flash Gordon
Elinor Hoyt Wylie (1885-1928), American author popular in the 1920s and 1930s
Paul Stanton Wylie (b. 1964), American Olympic figure skater and 1992 silver medalist
Hugh Wylie, American politician, Postmaster at Washington, Pennsylvania, 1803-28 13
Harold Worden Wylie, American politician, Dry Candidate for Delegate to New York convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933 13
... (Another 32 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wylie family +

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Emma Wylie, American 2nd Class passenger from Jersey City, New Jersey, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 14
Mr. Richard G. Wylie, English Third Junior 3rd Engineer from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 14

The Wylie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fides
Motto Translation: Faith.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 24th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 99)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CANTON 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Canton.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRFIELD 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Fairfield.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/