Show ContentsEstey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Estey

What does the name Estey mean?

The first people to use the distinguished Estey family name were found in the Barony of Estaile, in France.

Early Origins of the Estey family

The surname Estey was first found in Dumfriesshire where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Estey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Estey research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1778 is included under the topic Early Estey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Estey Spelling Variations

Huguenot surnames were only slightly Anglicized, and they remain to this day a distinct group of surnames in England. Nevertheless, Huguenot surnames have been subject to numerous spelling alterations since the names emerged in France. French surnames have a variety of spelling variations because the French language has changed drastically over the centuries. French was developed from the vernacular Latin of the Roman Empire. It is divided into three historic and linguistic periods: Old French, which developed before the 14th century; Middle French, which was used between the 14th and 16th centuries; and Modern French, which was used after the 16th century and continues to be in use today. In all of these periods, the French language was heavily influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when the barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heaviliy from the Italian language during the Renaissance. Huguenot names have numerous variations. The name may be spelled Esdale, Easdaile, Esdaile, Eskdale, Esdell, Esdel, Estdale and many more.

Early Notables of the Estey family

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

Estey Ranking

In the United States, the name Estey is the 14,075th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Estey migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Estey:

Estey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jeffrey Estey, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1636 2
Estey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Estey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
  • Thomas Estey, aged 45, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1863 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Estey (post 1700) +

  • Jacob Estey (1814-1890), American Republican politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives, 1869-70; Member of Vermont State Senate, 1872; Candidate for Governor of Vermont, 1876, founder of the Estey Organ Company which built around 500,000 to 520,000 pump organs between 1846 and 1955 3
  • Audrée Phipps Estey (1910-2002), née Phipps, American founder of the Princeton Ballet
  • S. Robinson Estey, American politician, Mayor of Plantation, Florida, 1955-59 3
  • Julius Jacob Estey (b. 1845), American Republican politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives, 1876; Member of Vermont State Senate from Windham County, 1882 3
  • J. Gray Estey, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Vermont, 1912 3
  • Charles L. Estey, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 15th District, 1880-83 3
  • Willard Zebedee "Bud" Estey (1919-2002), Canadian jurist, Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (1977-1988), son of James Wilfred Estey
  • James Wilfred "Bill" Estey (1889-1956), Canadian lawyer, politician, and jurist, Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (1944-1956), Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saskatoon City (1934-1944)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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