Show ContentsElridge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Elridge comes from the Old English name Aelfric, which literally means "elf-ruler" or Aeoelric which means "noble ruler." Both survived the Conquest, by which time the first element of the name had been reduced to "Al" or "El." Aeflric, Aefric, Alfric, Aluric 1 was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 in one form or the other. 2

Early Origins of the Elridge family

The surname Elridge was first found in Suffolk where one of the first records of the name found there was Hugo Aeflic filius c. 1095. In 1209, Ricardus Alurici was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire. Continuing through early census records, William Alfric was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1212 in Berkshire, William Alfrich was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 and finally, John Alfryg was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327. 2

Early History of the Elridge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elridge research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1500 and 1560 are included under the topic Early Elridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elridge Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Elridge were recorded, including Elrich, Elritch, Eldrich, Eldrick, Eldred, Eldrid, Eldridg, Eldredge, Eldridge and many more.

Early Notables of the Elridge family

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


Elridge migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Elridge family emigrate to North America:

Elridge Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Elridge, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3

Elridge migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Elridge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Henry Elridge, English convict who was convicted in Newington, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the ""Blenheim"" on 24th July 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, Australia 4


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim


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