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."
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] 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]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bielby research. Another 128 words (9 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 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.
More information is included under the topic Early Bielby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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: