Elles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the Elles family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living on an island. The surname Elles is derived from the Old French word isle, which means island and has become the modern French word île. The surname Elles 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 Elles may also be a patronymic surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal names Æl or Æthel.

Early Origins of the Elles family

The surname Elles 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 Elles family

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

Elles 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 Elles include Eyles, Eeles, Eels, Eylers and others.

Early Notables of the Elles family (pre 1700)

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 Elles Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elles 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 Elles or a variant listed above:

Elles Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alice Elles, who landed in Virginia in 1652 [1]
Rob Elles, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 [1]

Elles Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles T Elles, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1851 [1]
Josiah Elles, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 [1]

Elles migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Elles Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Solomon Elles, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Flying Mist" arriving in Bluff, South Island, New Zealand on 25th August 1862, the boat sank whilst waiting in port. [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Elles (post 1700) +

Elles Huff, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1960 [3]

Citations +

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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html