The surname Bielby traces it's origins as a habitational name from the village of Bilby, a hamlet in
Nottinghamshire, now part of the civil parish of Barnby Moor. Today one must look to
Australia for some of the more interesting facts about the surname Bilby. There, the name Bilby is an Australian species of nocturnal animal and the name is a native alternative to the Easter Bunny - the Easter Bilby. But Australia's origin is far different than the hamlet in
Nottinghamshire. For there the name is borrowed from the Yuwaalaraay Aboriginal language of northern
New South Wales, and means a "long-nosed rat."
Early Origins of the Bielby family
The surname Bielby was first found in Bilby,
Nottinghamshire, a township, in the parish of Blyth. In the mid 1800s the hamlet had about 221 inhabitants and measured about 1,918 acres in size. Bielby is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of
Yorkshire, and as of 2011, it had a population of 211. The village dates back to at least the
Domesday Book where it was listed as Belebi
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) in the union of Pocklington, land held by the King in
Yorkshire and was derived from the Old Scandinavian
personal name + by as in "farmstead or village of a man called Beli"
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Early History of the Bielby family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bielby research.
Another 255 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1379, 1541, 1544, 1604, 1635 and 1730 are included under the topic Early Bielby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Bielby Spelling Variations
Bielby has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few
hundred years,
spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Bilby, Bilbie, Billby, Bylby, Bilsby, Bilbye and others.
Early Notables of the Bielby family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Bielby Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Bielby family to the New World and Oceana
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in
England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Bielbys to arrive on North American shores:
Bielby Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- John William Bielby, aged 23, who landed in America, in 1919
- Charles Bielby, aged 19, who emigrated to the United States, in 1920
- Robert Bielby, aged 23, who emigrated to America from Beverley, England, in 1922
Contemporary Notables of the name Bielby (post 1700)
- William T. Bielby, American Professor of sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago
- Paul Anthony Bielby MBE (b. 1956), English former football midfielder for Manchester United
- Matt Bielby (b. 1956), British magazine editor from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire