Lelay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Lelay

Lelay is one of the oldest family names to come from the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the popular female personal name Elizabeth, derived from Lyliesis. 1 The name Lelay is a metronymic surname, which is derived from the name of the mother. Occasionally, the surname is derived from residence in the settlement of Lilley (meadow where flax was grown) in Hertfordshire or in the place called Lilly in Berkshire. 2 "The Berkshire Lilly seems to be the Lilling-leáh of an Anglo-Saxon charter-Lill-, the fairly common personal name." 3

Early Origins of the Lelay family

Early History of the Lelay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lelay research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1546, 1553, 1560, 1564, 1571, 1578, 1580, 1602, 1605, 1606, 1618, 1652, 1680, 1681 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lelay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lelay Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Lelay has undergone many spelling variations, including Lillie, Lilie, Lilley, Lilly and others.

Early Notables of the Lelay family

Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680), born Pieter van der Faes, a Dutch painter whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court. John Lyly (Lilly or Lylie; c.1553-1606), was an English writer, poet, dramatist, playwright, and politician, best known for his books "Euphues, The Anatomy of Wit" (1578) and...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lelay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lelay Ranking

In France, the name Lelay is the 1,590^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,746 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Lelay family to Ireland

Some of the Lelay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 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 Lelay family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Lelay were among those contributors: John Lilie who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1738; Richard Lilley settled in Virginia in 1656; James Lilley settled in Virginia in 1774; Henry Lilley settled in Virginia in 1642.