Holis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Holis

What does the name Holis mean?

Holis is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Holis comes from the Old English given name Aldus. Ald, the first part of the name, means old.

Early Origins of the Holis family

The surname Holis was first found in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire in the south east of England, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Soon after, Rudolphus Aldous was recorded in Yorkshire in 1168 as holding considerable estates and lands, and Robert Aldous was recorded in Norfolk in 1230.

"Aldous is an ancient east country name which at present has its principal home in and around Harleston in this county, though still found in Ipswich and Stowmarket. Aldus was the name of an Ipswich bailiff in 1654 (W.), and the name of Aldhuse was established in Stowmarket in the reign of Elizabeth (H.). In the forms of Aldus and Alduse it occurred in the reign of Edward I. in Norfolk, Notts, Lincolnshire, and Oxfordshire (H. R.). We learn from Blomefield's "Norfolk" that Aldous was the name of the rector of Wreningham in that county in 1393, and that Thomas Aldous of Starston, Norfolk, died in 1740 at the age of 100: Aldhouse is also an old Norfolk name." 1

Early History of the Holis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holis research. Another 36 words (3 lines of text) covering the year 1284 is included under the topic Early Holis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holis Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Aldis, Aldous, Aldhouse, Aldus, Aldiss, Oldis and many more.

Early Notables of the Holis family

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

Holis migration to Canada +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Holis name or one of its variants:

Holis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Betty Hannah Down Holis, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Sources +

Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.