Helland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Helland family

The surname Helland was first found in Helland, a parish in the Trigg hundred of Cornwall. "Hals says the name refers to the church, and signifies the hall, college, temple, or church. Tonkin says kel and kele are Cornish pronunciations of the English hall, atrium, and that this word was applied to churches as well as gentlemens houses in various parts of England." 1

"Others however, on what may be deemed better authority, trace the name up to Helen, a female saint, who is said to have come into Cornwall from Ireland, in company with Germochus and others, several centuries before the Norman Conquest, and just at a time that Christianity gained an ascendancy over Druidism in this county. Her name is still preserved in the church of this parish, which from time immemorial has been dedicated to her memory." 2

Later some of the family were found in Yorkshire where the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when held lands in Bridlington. 3

Early History of the Helland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Helland research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1482, 1487, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Helland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Helland Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Helland have been found, including Hellerd, Hellard, Helled, Hellad and others.

Early Notables of the Helland family

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

Helland Ranking

In the United States, the name Helland is the 11,375^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Helland family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Helland, or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..

Contemporary Notables of the name Helland (post 1700) +

Vis Helland, American Multimedia New York Artist
Eric Helland Ph.D., American Professor of Economics at Claremont McKenna College
Marion Helland, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 2000 5
George B. Helland, American politician, Representative from New York 15th District, 1892 5
David P. Helland, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Iowa, 1972 5
Thor Helland (1936-2021), Norwegian long-distance runner who specialized in the 5000 metres
J. Roy Helland (b. 1943), Academy Award winning make-up artist

Citations +

Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
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/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html