Heasley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Heasley family

The surname Heasley was first found in Hampshire at Eastleigh, originally a Saxon village first recorded c. 932 as "East lea" where "leah" was an ancient Anglo-Saxon word meaning "a clearing in a forest." Collectively the place name meant "east wood or clearing." 1

The village lies on the old Roman road, built c. 79 A.D. between Winchester and Bitterne. By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the village was known as Estleie. 2 Today the village is a railway town in the Borough of Eastleigh. As far as the surname is concerned, it was first referenced in the year 1219 when Henry of Estleia held estates in Yorkshire. 3

Early History of the Heasley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heasley research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1510, 1541 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Heasley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heasley 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 Heasley include Eastley, Eastleigh, Eastly, Easley, Easly, Easlie and many more.

Early Notables of the Heasley family

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

Heasley Ranking

In the United States, the name Heasley is the 17,313^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Heasley migration to the United States +

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 Heasley or a variant listed above:

Heasley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Heasley, aged 24, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1823 5
John Heasley, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Heasley (post 1700) +

Maria Heasley (b. 1959), American film and TV actress
Derek Heasley (b. 1972), Irish cricket player

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)