Irlay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient history of the name Irlay dates back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name given to a male who was of manly character. The surname Irlay originally derived from the Old English word Eorlic which referred to one who displayed manly characteristics. The surname Irlay belongs to a broad and miscellaneous class of surnames. Nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. Often nicknames described strong traits or attributes that people wished to emulate in a specific animal.

Early Origins of the Irlay family

The surname Irlay was first found in Somerset where one of the first records of the name was John de Earlea who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1162. A few years later, William de Erlega was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1190 and John de Erley was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1230. 1

Bardsley claims the name was a local name "of Earley, a parish in the diocese of Oxford." 2 He quotes another contemporary source "Lower says 'A liberty in the parish of Sonning, co. Berks.' " 3 The latter Berkshire local was confirmed by Reaney. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following found in Somerset: Clemens Erleghe; Phillip Erlee; and Warin Erlee. 2 The Berkshire local is the only one we could find today.

Early History of the Irlay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Irlay research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1773, 1786, 1798, 1813, 1815, 1817, 1872, 1873 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Irlay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irlay 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 Irlay include Early, Erlegh, Erlee, Erly, Earley, Erle, Erley, Arlie and many more.

Early Notables of the Irlay family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Early (1786-1873)American religious leader who was instrumental in organizing the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Bridget Ellen "Biddy" Early (1798-1872) née O'Connor...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Irlay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Irlay family to Ireland

Some of the Irlay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Irlay family

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 Irlay or a variant listed above: Robert Early who settled in New England in 1633; and Thomas Early who settled in North Carolina in 1700; Edward Erle settled in Virginia in 1635; Michael Earley settled in Philadelphia in 1868.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.