Hillyer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Hillyer is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a hellier, or one who tiles a roof, a thatcher or slater. Interestingly, The Ordinances of Worcester includes the following early reference: The helynge of their houses, and the dores ben all of wode Also that non Tylers were called hillyers of the cite compelle ne charge ne make no tyler straunger to serve at his rule and assignement.

Early Origins of the Hillyer family

The surname Hillyer was first found in Kent, where we find the earliest reference to this name.

Early History of the Hillyer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hillyer research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273 and 1347 are included under the topic Early Hillyer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hillyer Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Hillyer has appeared include Hillier, Hillyer, Hilliar and others.

Early Notables of the Hillyer family (pre 1700)

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

Hillyer Ranking

In the United States, the name Hillyer is the 8,732^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]

Hillyer migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Hillyer arrived in North America very early:

Hillyer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Hillyer, who arrived in Connecticut in 1639 [2]
Lawrence Hillyer, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 [2]

Hillyer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jamichah Hillyer, who landed in New York in 1797 [2]

Hillyer migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hillyer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Hillyer, British Convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he may have been executed in 1824 [3]
Miss Matilda Hillyer, English convict who was convicted in Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 14th July 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [4]
Mr. James Hillyer, English convict who was convicted in Buckinghamshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [5]
Caroline Hillyer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anna Maria" in 1849 [6]
Francis Hillyer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anna Maria" in 1849 [6]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hillyer (post 1700) +

Robert Silliman Hillyer (1895-1961), American poet and academic awarded the 1934 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Jim Hillyer (1974-2016), Canadian politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner (2015-2016)
Brigadier-General Nathaniel Hillyer Egleston (1884-1981), American Commanding Officer 51st Cavalry Brigade (1933-1940) [7]
Charles Hillyer Brand (1861-1933), American lawyer, judge, politician, U.S. Representative from Georgia
Charles Hillyer Brand (1861-1933), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Georgia State Senate, 1894-95; Superior Court Judge in Georgia, 1906-17; U.S. Representative from Georgia, 1917-33 [8]
Hillyer Speed Lamkin (1927-2011), American novelist and playwright, born Monroe, Louisiana, best known for his first novel Tiger in the Garden (1950), often referred to as "the poor man's Truman Capote", recipient of a 1950 O. Henry Award for his short story Comes a Day

Citations +

"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)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fanny
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ANNA MARIA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849AnnaMaria.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Nathaniel Egleston. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Egleston/Nathaniel_Hillyer/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html