Chillay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Etymology of Chillay

What does the name Chillay mean?

Chillay is an ancient Viking-Scottish name derived from Giles. "In the Scottish dialect jelly means worthy, upright." 1

The surname Chillay is derived from a corruption of this personal name. Giles is derived from the Old Scandinavian personal name Gilli, which came to the British Isles with the Vikings who settled in the north of England and in Scotland in the 9th century AD. They came to the British Isles under the leadership of Sigurd the Stout after they were dispossessed of their lands by the King of Norway.

Early Origins of the Chillay family

The surname Chillay was first found in Ayrshire where early record show Thomas Jelle held a tenement in 1518. Later, William Jellie is recorded in Cruikens, parish of Carnwath, 1673 and Andrew Jellie and his wife were residents in the parish of Borgue, 1684. 2

Further to the south in England, we found Thomas Jely listed in Essex in 1472; Robert Jely in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1524 and John Jelleye and Richard Gellye in Surrey in 1583. 3

Early History of the Chillay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chillay research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1592, 1593, 1621, 1663, 1665 and 1673 are included under the topic Early Chillay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chillay Spelling Variations

Scottish names from the Middle Ages vary enormously in their spellings. This is a result of the fact that there were no universal standards like dictionaries for scribes to judge by. The recorded spelling variations of the name Chillay include Jelly, Jellie, Jelley and others.

Early Notables of the Chillay family

More information is included under the topic Early Chillay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chillay family

Settlers found farms all along the eastern part of what would become the United States and Canada. They provided a base and a backbone that would strengthen two great nations in the making. In the 20th century, the ancestors of those brave Scots have rediscovered their heritage through highland games and Scottish historical societies. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Scottish name Chillay or a variant listed above, including: Hugh Jelly settled in Philadelphia in 1804; James Jelly settled in New York in 1823; Thomas Jelly, his wife Mary, and son Richard and his servants, settled in Barbados in 1678.

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)