Show ContentsEnsey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ensey family

The surname Ensey was first found in Devon at Hensley, but we must look far to the north in Yorkshire to find the first listing of the family. For it is there that John de Henselay was listed in the Subsidy Rolls in 1297. 1

Early History of the Ensey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ensey research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1080, 1163, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1540, 1600, 1616 and 1662 are included under the topic Early Ensey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ensey Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Ensey family name include Hensley, Hensleigh, Henslie, Henslea, Ensley, Ensleigh, Ensly and many more.

Early Notables of the Ensey family

Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ensey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ensey family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Ensey surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Jone Hensley who arrived in Virginia in 1702; William Hensley who settled in Jamaica in 1774; and Samuel J. Hensely who settled in San Francisco in 1850..



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook