Elsworth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Elsworth name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Cambridgeshire, where they derived their name from the place-name Elsworth. The place-name is derived from the Old English personal name Eli and worth, an Old English word for farm. The place-name translated literally as Eli's farm. 1
Early Origins of the Elsworth family
The surname Elsworth was first found in Cambridgeshire at Elsworth, a parish, in the union of Caxton and Arrington, hundred of Papworth. An ancient Saxon village, it dates back to 974 when it was first listed as Eleswurth. 1 By the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name had evolved to Elesuuorde. 2 Elworth is a village and a suburb of Sandbach, Cheshire but is rather recent in history so as to be an unlikely origin of the surname. Elworthy is a small village and civil parish in the Brendon Hills area of Somerset. 3
Early History of the Elsworth family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elsworth research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1280, 1400, 1600 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Elsworth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Elsworth Spelling Variations
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 Elsworth has undergone many spelling variations, including Ellesworth, Elsworth, Ellsworth, Elisworth, Ellisworth, Elsworthy and many more.
Early Notables of the Elsworth family
More information is included under the topic Early Elsworth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Elsworth migration to the United States +
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 Elsworth were among those contributors:
Elsworth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Anthonie Elsworth, aged 26, who arrived in Virginia in 1621 4
- Ann Elsworth, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 4
- Anth Elsworth, who landed in Virginia in 1634 4
Elsworth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- William Elsworth, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803-1827 4
- William Elsworth, who landed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1808 4
- Risper Elsworth, who arrived in New York in 1839 4
- George Elsworth, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1852 4
- J Elsworth, aged 30, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1852 4
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Elsworth migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Elsworth Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. Francis Elsworth U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5
- Mr. William Elsworth U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5
- Mr. William Elsworth U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 5
- Mr. Francis Elsworth U.E., "Ellsworth" who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 5
Elsworth migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Elsworth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Elsworth 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:
Elsworth Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Mr. E. A. Elsworth, American settler travelling from San Francisco aboard the ship "Dakota" arriving in Port Chalmers, South Island, New Zealand on 11th January 1873 7
Contemporary Notables of the name Elsworth (post 1700) +
- John Elsworth, English academic and translator, specialising in Russian literature
- Dr Margaret Elsworth MBE (b. 1929), English founder of the African Scholars' Fund and the African Scholars' Fund UK
- David Elsworth (b. 1939), English horse trainer of Desert Orchid, 1988 Grand National winner Rhyme 'n' Reason and 1990 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Barnbrook Again
- Yvonne Elsworth FRS FInstP FRAS, British physicist, Professor of Helioseismology and Poynting Professor of Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Birmingham, elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society in 2015
- Kate Elsworth, Australian Electronic Dance Music DJ, vocalist and songwriter based in London
- Scott Elsworth, Australian Paralympian who competed in boccia at the 1996 and the 2000 Summer Paralympics
- Harry Elsworth Narey (1885-1962), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa in 1942
- Lieutenant Commander Walter Elsworth Reno (1881-1917), United States Navy officer, eponym of the USS Reno (DD-303) and the USS Reno (CL-96)
- Harry Elsworth Narey (1885-1962), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1932; U.S. Representative from Iowa 9th District, 1942-43; District Judge in Iowa, 1944-59
- Elsworth P. Bourquin, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Ohio State House of Representatives from Fulton County, 1897 8
Historic Events for the Elsworth family +
- John William Emmott Elsworth (d. 1942), British Stoker 1st Class aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 9
Citations +
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- 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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A