The lineage of the name Abrey begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in one of the places called Appery in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Northumberland. This family may have also originated near the Appery Bridge, which was in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The surname Abrey was first found in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abrey research. Another 240 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1500, 1623, 1688, 1748, 1786, and 1787 are included under the topic Early Abrey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Abrey has undergone many spelling variations, including Abrey, Abray, Abery, Abry, Abrahee, Abrahe and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Abrey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. 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 Abrey were among those contributors: John Abry, who sailed to Virginia in 1650. Henry Abery sailed to Virginia in 1671 and William Abery to New York in 1839.