Show ContentsEll History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ell family

The surname Ell was first found in Worcestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Ell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ell research. Another 166 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1041, 1046, 1092, 1153, 1166, 1451, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1539, 1543, 1570, 1600 and 1810 are included under the topic Early Ell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ell Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Ell include Alye, Allye, Allie, Alley, Aley, Allee, Aleigh and many more.

Early Notables of the Ell family

Distinguished members of the family include William Alley (1510?-1570), English divine, Bishop of Exeter, a native of Chipping Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. "Early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth he became divinity reader at St. Paul's...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Ell migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ell or a variant listed above:

Ell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Jacob Ell, who arrived in New York in 1732 1
  • William Ell, aged 15, who landed in New York in 1774 1
  • John Ell, aged 40, who arrived in New York in 1774 1
Ell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Adam Ell, who arrived in New York in 1842 1
  • Elisab Ell, aged 20, who landed in New York, NY in 1885 1
  • Franz Ell, aged 20, who arrived in New York, NY in 1885 1
  • Johannes Ell, aged 43, who landed in New York, NY in 1885 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Ell (post 1700) +

  • Ell Torrence, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Minnesota, 1896 (speaker) 2


  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 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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