| ![Show Contents]() Achelay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Achelay is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Buckinghamshire. The surname Achelay derives from the Old English word Aker-leah, which means "acre meadow owner." 1 Early Origins of the Achelay familyThe surname Achelay was first found in Buckinghamshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times. The name literally mane "dweller at the Acre-Lea, i.e., a common field divided into plots of various sizes. [Middle English aker, Old English aecer, a division of land +M.E. ley, Old English leah, a lea, field]." 2 Early History of the Achelay familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Achelay research. Another 245 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1300, 1500, 1610, 1665, 1685, 1691, 1721, 1725, 1740 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Achelay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Achelay Spelling VariationsThe first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Achelay has been spelled many different ways, including Ackerly, Ackerley, Acerly, Akerley, Akeley, Acle, Ackle, Acley, Acly and many more. Early Notables of the Achelay familyDistinguished members of the family include Roger Acherley (1665?-1740), Welsh lawyer, constitutional writer, and politician, the son and heir of John Acherley of Stanwardine, or Stottesden, Shropshire, where he was the representative of a long-established family. Roger was admitted a student of the Inner Temple on 6 March 1685, and called to the bar on 24 May 1691. For some years Acherley was engaged in disputing the will of Thomas Vernon, who died in 1721, by...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Achelay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Achelay familyThousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Achelays to arrive in North America: Henry Ackerly, who sailed to New Haven, Connecticut in 1640. Nicholas Ackley sailed to Connecticut in 1655; and Joseph Ackerly to Philadelphia in 1865. Henry Akerly arrived in New Haven, Conn in 1640. Robert Akerly arrived in Rhode Island in 1651..
- Surnames from the U.S.A. and Canada. Family Name Researchers, Inc., Toronto, 1975.
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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