Show ContentsEllarby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ellarby family

The surname Ellarby was first found in the East Riding of Yorkshire at Ellerby, a civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Elwordebi at that time. 1 The name literally meant "farmstead or village of a man called Aelfweard" from the Old English personal name + the Scandinavian word "by." 2 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Ellerby, held, according to the men of Holderness, by William Malet, a Norman Baron, Viscount of Arques, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. The site now is moated and is called Old Ellerby, near Wood Hall. New Ellerby is a hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Together with Old Ellerby it forms the civil parish of Ellerby. Allerby is a hamlet in Cumbria, England and there is a village and civil parish in the Scarborough district of North Yorkshire named Ellerby. Ellerbeck is a small village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Elrebec. 1

Early History of the Ellarby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellarby research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1385 and 1410 are included under the topic Early Ellarby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellarby Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Ellarby are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Ellarby include Ellerby, Ellarby, Ellerbie, Ellerbe, Ellarbie, Ellaby, Elleby, Ellebie, Ellabie, Elerbee, Elerby, Elerbie, Elarby, Elarbie, Elarbee, Allerby and many more.

Early Notables of the Ellarby family

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

Migration of the Ellarby family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Ellarby, or a variant listed above: Eliz Ellerby, who came to Virginia in 1689; Robert Ellerbey, who came to Nova Scotia in 1750; Edward Ellerby, who arrived in New York, NY in 1822; Heinrich Ellerbeck, who arrived in New Orleans in 1867.



  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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