Neels History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the Neels family lived among the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. Neels is a name for someone who lived in Ayrshire. The Neels family name is also a Scottish patronymic name created from the personal name Neill. It is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Néill meaning "descendant, or son of Niall."

Early Origins of the Neels family

The surname Neels was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Neels family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Neels research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1474 and 1654 are included under the topic Early Neels History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Neels Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Neels has been spelled Neilson, Nielson, Nilson, Nylson and others.

Early Notables of the Neels family

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

Migration of the Neels family to Ireland

Some of the Neels family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Neels migration to the United States +

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them:

Neels Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Neels, who arrived in Maryland in 1657 1

Neels migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Neels Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Neels, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Easterhill" in 1882
Annie Neels, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Easterhill" in 1882

Contemporary Notables of the name Neels (post 1700) +

Henry A. Neels, American politician, Mayor of East Moline, Illinois, 1965 2

The Neels Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: His regi servitium
Motto Translation: With these we render service to the king.

Citations +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html