Show ContentsAylsbay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Aylsbay family

The surname Aylsbay was first found in Buckinghamshire at Aylesbury, a borough, market-town, parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Aylesbury. "This place appears to have been one of the strongholds of the ancient Britons, from whom it was taken in the year 571 by Cutwulph, brother of Ceawlin, King of the West Saxons; and to have had a castle of some importance, from which circumstance probably it derives its Saxon appellation Aeglesburge. In the reign of the Conqueror it was a royal manor." 1 By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name was listed as Eilesberia 2 and literally meant "stronghold or a man called Aegel. " 3 As far as the surname is concerned, the first record of the surname was found in 1188 when Richard of Aylesbury of Eynsham held estates in this shire.

Early History of the Aylsbay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aylsbay research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1307, 1377, 1381, 1455, 1487, 1576, 1615, 1622, 1628, 1635, 1656, 1657, 1659 and 1677 are included under the topic Early Aylsbay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aylsbay Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Aylsbay are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Aylsbay include: Aylesbury, AylesBerry, Aylesbery, Aylesbry, Ailsberry, Ailsburry, Ailsbry and many more.

Early Notables of the Aylsbay family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Thomas Aylesbury (1576-1657) 1st Baronet, an English civil servant, Surveyor of the Navy from 1628, jointly Master of the Mint from 1635, and a patron of mathematical learning. He "was born in London in 1576, the second son of William Aylesbury and Anne Poole, his wife. Of his father's position nothing is known beyond the fact mentioned by Lloyd (Memoirs (1677), p. 699), that...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Aylsbay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Aylsbay family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Aylsbay or a variant listed above: settlers, who arrived along the eastern seaboard, from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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