Show ContentsIllingswith History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestry of the name Illingswith dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the chapelry of Illingworth in the parish of Halifax in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This place-name was originally derived from the Old English word Illinword, which refers to an enclosure.

Early Origins of the Illingswith family

The surname Illingswith was first found in Yorkshire at Illingworth, a village that dates back to 1276 when it was first listed as Illingworthe. 1

Early History of the Illingswith family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Illingswith research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Illingswith History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Illingswith 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 Illingswith have been found, including Illingworth, Ilingworth, Illingsworth and others.

Early Notables of the Illingswith family

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

Migration of the Illingswith 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 Illingswith, or a variant listed above: Joshua Illingsworth settled in Newcastle county in Delaware in 1852; William and James Illingworth settled in Philadelphia in 1834 and 1866.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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