Show ContentsEllingworth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient history of the Ellingworth name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the chapelry of Illingworth in the parish of Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This place-name was originally derived from the Old English word Illinword, which refers to an enclosure.

Early Origins of the Ellingworth family

The surname Ellingworth was first found in Yorkshire at Illingworth, a village that dates back to 1276 when it was first listed as Illingworthe. 1

Early History of the Ellingworth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ellingworth research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ellingworth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ellingworth 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 Ellingworth include Illingworth, Ilingworth, Illingsworth and others.

Early Notables of the Ellingworth family

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

Migration of the Ellingworth family

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 Ellingworth or a variant listed above: Joshua Illingsworth settled in Newcastle county in Delaware in 1852; William and James Illingworth settled in Philadelphia in 1834 and 1866.


Contemporary Notables of the name Ellingworth (post 1700) +

  • Chief Petty Officer Reginald Vincent Ellingworth GC (d. 1940), posthumously awarded the George Cross for attempting to defuse a mine which had fallen during the blitz on 21 September 1940


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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