Adele History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Adele surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in the village of Adderley in Shropshire 1; the village was known as "Eldredelei" in the Domesday Book and was held by Nigel the Doctor. 2

One source notes a Norman connection to the family: "The name was derived from Doussainville, between Paris and Orleans. This family of De Dunstanville continued barons of Adderley in 1255. Henry de Adderley, a younger son, occurs in Staffordshire, 13th century 3, and 1310 Robert de Adderle is mentioned 4. The usage of those ages restricted the name of the barony to the family of its lords." 5

Early Origins of the Adele family

The surname Adele was first found in Shropshire at Adderley, a village and civil parish that literally means "woodland clearing of a woman called Athryth," from the Old English personal name + "leah." 6

Early History of the Adele family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Adele research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1637 is included under the topic Early Adele History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Adele Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Adele include Adderley, Adderly, Addly, Adley, Aderly, Atherly, Atherley, Hadderley and many more.

Early Notables of the Adele family

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

Migration of the Adele family

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: John Adderley who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1734; Edward Adderly settled in Philadelphia in 1760; Susanna Atherley settled in Virginia in 1768.

Contemporary Notables of the name Adele (post 1700) +

Elisabeth Adele Allram-Lechner (1824-1861), Czech stage actor
May Adele McFadyen, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1956
Joyce Adele Pettingill (1940-2014), birth name of Karuna Dharma, an American Buddhist scholar and monk, the first American-born woman to become a fully ordained Buddhist monk
Essie Adele Ackland (1896-1975), Australian singer
Susan Adele Greenfield CBE (b. 1950), Baroness Greenfield, British scientist, writer, broadcaster
L. Adele Cuinet, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1928 7
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins M.B.E. (b. 1988), better known as Adele, eight-time Grammy Award winning English recording artist and songwriter from Tottenham
Adele Carolyn Morales (1925-2015), American painter and memoirist, second wife of American author-playwright Norman Mailer (1923-2007)
Adele Fillis (1891-1960), India-born actress, known for The Vulture's Prey (1922), Copper Mask (1919) and Prester John (1920)
Adele Dunlap (1903-2017), American supercentenarian who lived to be 114

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Palgrave, Sir Francis F.R.S., F.S.A. History of the Anglo-Saxons. London: William Tegg, 1871, Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html