Show ContentsHadler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Hadler name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Hadleigh or Hadley, a place-name found in numerous locations in England. The root of these names is common, however; they are all derived from the Old English roots hæth and leah, which taken together mean "forest clearing where the heather grows." 1

Early Origins of the Hadler family

The surname Hadler was first found in Essex at Hadleigh, a parish, in the union and hundred of Rochford. 2

Over in Suffolk, Hadleigh was a market-town and parish, in the union and hundred of Cosford. "This town, which was probably founded during the heptarchy, about which period a monastery is said to have been established by one of the Saxon kings, was called by the Anglo-Saxons Headlege, whence it derived its modern name. Some of the kings of East Anglia were interred here; as also was Guthrum, or Gormo, a Danish chief, who submitted to Alfred the Great, and renounced paganism after the defeat of the Danes at the battle of Ethandune, now Eddington, in the county of Wilts: a tomb is still shown in the church as the monument of Guthrum (who died in 889)" 2

"In Essex and Suffolk I find two parishes of Hadleigh, and in Middlesex a parish Hadley." 3 Another source notes: "Hædleáh in an Anglo-Saxon will of the 10th century." 4

The first record of the family was indeed found in Suffolk. Matilda de Hadlega was listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1194. Warin de Hadlai was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1212 and John Hadley was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1390. 5

Early History of the Hadler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hadler research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1194, 1379, 1682, 1685, 1691, 1730, 1731, 1744, 1749, 1753, 1756, 1760, 1763, 1764, 1768, 1771 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Hadler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hadler Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hadler has undergone many spelling variations, including Hadley, Hadleigh and others.

Early Notables of the Hadler family

Notables of the family at this time include George Hadley (1685-1768), an English lawyer and amateur meteorologist, eponym of the Hadley cell and The Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change John Hadley (1682-1744), was an English mathematician, inventor of the octant and precursor to the sextant around 1730. Mons Hadley and Rima Hadley on the Moon are named after him. He was the son of George Hadley, deputy-lieutenant and afterwards, in 1691, High Sheriff of Hertfordshire. "He must be distinguished from an older John Hadley who was also skilled in practical mechanics." 6 John Hadley MD (1731-1764), the Professor of chemistry at...
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hadler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hadler migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hadler were among those contributors:

Hadler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Hadler, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1849 7
  • W Hadler, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
  • M Hadler, who landed in Arkansas in 1885 7

New Zealand Hadler 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:

Hadler Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Christian Hadler, (b. 1827), aged 26, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd December 1853 8


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  7. 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)
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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