Handy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 


Handy is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name. It was a name given to a person who was a person who is good with their hands, in other words, a handyman as the name was originally derived from the Old English hondi, which meant "skilled with his hands." A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

Early Origins of the Handy family

The surname Handy was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Handy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Handy research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Handy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Handy Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Handy has appeared include Handy, Handie, Handey, Handye and others.

Early Notables of the Handy family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Handy Ranking

In the United States, the name Handy is the 2,106th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1


Handy migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Handy arrived in North America very early:

Handy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Handy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Handy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Handy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Handy migration to Australia +

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

Handy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Handy 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:

Handy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Handy migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7
Handy Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Handy (post 1700) +
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