Show ContentsEels History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Eels is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived on an island. The surname Eels is derived from the Old French word isle, which means island and has become the modern French word île. The surname Eels belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. However, the name Eels may also be a patronymic surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal names Æl or Æthel.

Early Origins of the Eels family

The surname Eels was first found in Somerset 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 Eels family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eels research. Another 220 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1338, 1679, 1683, 1688, 1703, 1713, 1715, 1716, 1721, 1727, 1734, 1735 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Eels History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eels Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Eels has been spelled many different ways, including Eyles, Eeles, Eels, Eylers and others.

Early Notables of the Eels family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir John Eyles, Lord Mayor of London; John Eyles (died 1703), of Great St. Helens, London and Southbroom, near Devizes, Wiltshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Devizes in 1679; Sir Francis Eyles, 1st Baronet (died 1716), Governor of the Bank of England; and his son, Sir John Eyles, 2nd Baronet (1683-1745) of Gidea Hall, Essex, a British financier. He served as a director of the Bank of...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Eels Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Eels migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Eelss to arrive in North America:

Eels Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Eels who purchased land in New England in 1620
  • John Eels, who landed in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1629 [1]
Eels Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Eels, who landed in Virginia in 1739

Contemporary Notables of the name Eels (post 1700) +

  • Richard Eels, American politician, Candidate for Governor of Illinois, 1846 [2]
  • D. T. Eels, American politician, Mayor of Cedar Falls, Iowa, 1950-51 [2]

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. William S Eels, British Leading Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking [3]


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html


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