Nys History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Nys

What does the name Nys mean?

The ancestors of the bearers of the Nys family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found near a river. Nys is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. There are a variety of types of local surnames, some of which include: topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. This surname comes from the Old English phrase, atten (e)ye, which means "at the island." 1 This surname was first found in England in the county of Essex.

Early Origins of the Nys family

The surname Nys was first found in Essex, where they were established early in the medieval period. 2

Kirby's Quest listed Thoma atte Nye, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 3

Early History of the Nys family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nys research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1207, 1269, 1276, 1315, 1648 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Nys History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nys 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 Nys include Nye, Nie, Nay, Ney and others.

Early Notables of the Nys family

Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nys Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nys Ranking

France, the name Nys is the 8,058^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 4

Nys migration to the United States +

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 Nys or a variant listed above:

Nys Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Wolphert Nys, who arrived in New York in 1643 5
Pieter Nys, who landed in New York in 1664 5

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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.
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)