Nelen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Nelen

The surname Nelen was derived from the Gaelic "O Niallain," which means "descendant of Niall."

Early Origins of the Nelen family

Early History of the Nelen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nelen research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1570 is included under the topic Early Nelen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nelen Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Nelen were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. O'Neilan, O'Neylan, Neilan, Neylan and many more.

Early Notables of the Nelen family

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

Migration of the Nelen family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Nelen or a variant listed above, including: Humphry Nelan, who arrived in America between the years 1735 and 1743; James Nelan, who arrived at Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843; John, Johanna and Elizabeth Neilan, who all died en route to Quebec in 1847.