Show ContentsNilland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

There are several places named Newland in Britain including: a liberty in the parish of Hurst, Berkshire; a parish in Gloucestershire; a township in Lancashire; a parish in Worcestershire; and a hamlet in the East Rising of Yorkshire to list a few. Newlands is found in Cumberland, Derbyshire, Northumberland and Durham. [1]

All have the same meaning: "new arable land," having derived from the Old English word "niwe," + land. The earliest seems to be found in Hertfordshire and Worcestershire which both date back to 1221. [2]

Another source sums up the origin as someone "who dwelt on, or near, the newly cleared or newly acquired land; one who came from Newland, the name of various places in England." [3]

Early Origins of the Nilland family

The surname Nilland was first found in Kent where Samson de la Niwelande was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1181. [4]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has two listings of the family in Cambridgeshire: Roger de la Neuelonde and Richard le de Neulond. The same rolls includes entries for Thomas de la Neulaund, Essex and G. de Neuland, Lincolnshire. [5]

Somerset records show William atte Niwelond, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign on King Edward III.) [6]

Up in Scotland, "There was an old barony of Newlands in the sheriffdom of Kincardine, and a parish of the name in Peeblesshire, from either of which the surname may have been derived. The name was common in Glasgow in the sixteenth century, and common in the parish of Dalswinton till recent times. Jasper Newlands of that Ilk in record, 1469. Duncan Newlandis bailie of the burgh of Linlithgow, 1493, Peter Newlandis, witness there in 1537 (Johnstoun), and Kentigem Newlandis, witness in 1542." [7]

Early History of the Nilland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nilland research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1469, 1481, 1483, 1515, 1573, 1597, 1640, 1648, 1670, 1675, 1688, 1702, 1706, 1726, 1730, 1743, 1748, 1782 and 1807 are included under the topic Early Nilland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nilland Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Nilland include Newland, Newling, Newley, Nieland, Newlan and others.

Early Notables of the Nilland family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Newland (d. 1515), Abbot of St. Augustine's, Bristol, was born at Newland in the Forest of Dean, whence he took his name; he was also called Nailheart, which may have been his parents' name, and suggested the device or arms he adopted. He was elected abbot of St. Augustine's, Bristol, on 6 April 1481, but may have been obnoxious to Richard III, as Richard Walker was appointed abbot in 1483. [8]Robert Newlyn (1597-1688), was an English clergyman and academic, President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford from 1640 to 1648; and Roger Newland...
Another 153 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nilland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Nilland family to Ireland

Some of the Nilland 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.


United States Nilland migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Nilland Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Gottfried Nilland, who landed in New York, NY in 1782 [9]


The Nilland 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: Le Nom, les armes, la loyauté
Motto Translation: The Name, the arms, the loyalty.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  7. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  8. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  9. 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)


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