Show ContentsOakeley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Oakeley is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Oakeley family once lived in one of the various settlements named Oakley throughout England, or in Oakley Street in Gloucestershire, Oakleigh in Kent, or Ockley in Surrey. The surname Oakeley belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Oakeley family

The surname Oakeley was first found in Shropshire where this "ancient family descended from Philip, who is the reign of Henry III., was Lord of Oakley in the parish of Bishop's Castle, from whence he assumed his name, and which has ever since been the inheritance of his descendants." 1 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Walter de Oclee in Wiltshire; Godwin de Ocle in Suffolk; and Robert de Ocle in Oxfordshire. The Feet if Fins of 1415, list Thomas Acle or Ocle as Sheriff of Norwich at that time. 3

Early History of the Oakeley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oakeley research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1362, 1380, 1500, 1541, 1624, 1635, 1653, 1659, 1660, 1678, 1695 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Oakeley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oakeley Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Oakeley family name include Oakley, Oakeley, Oakly, Okly, Ockley and others.

Early Notables of the Oakeley family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Richard Oakeley (died 1653), of Oakeley, Shropshire, an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for Bishop's Castle in 1624
  • William Oakeley (1635-1695), an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for Bishop's Castle in 1659, High Sheriff of Shropshire in March 1660


United States Oakeley migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Oakeley surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Oakeley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Math Oakeley, who arrived in Virginia in 1699 4
Oakeley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Oakeley, who settled in Virginia in 1773
  • John Oakeley, aged 19, who landed in Virginia in 1773 4
Oakeley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Richard F. Oakeley, aged 44, who landed in America, in 1906
  • Edward de Clifford Oakeley, aged 42, who settled in America, in 1907

Canada Oakeley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Oakeley Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • James T.E. Oakeley, aged 38, who settled in Creston British Columbia, Canada, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Oakeley (post 1700) +

  • Francis Eckley Oakeley (1891-1914), English rugby player who was killed during the First World War, when the submarine he was serving aboard, HMS D2, disappeared
  • Sir Charles Oakeley (1751-1826), of Forton, Staffordshire, 1st Baronet, an English administrator in India, and was responsible for collecting funds for the war and later became Governor of Madras
  • Frederick Oakeley (1802-1880), canon at Westminster Cathedral in 1852 best known as the person who translated Adeste Fideles (Oh Come All Ye Faithful) into English
  • Sir Edward Atholl Oakeley (1900-1987), 7th Baronet of Shrewsbury, English heavyweight boxer
  • Sir John Digby Atholl Oakeley (b. 1932), 8th Baronet, British peer
  • William Edward Oakeley (1828-1912), owner of the Oakeley Quarry, a slate mine in the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, north Wales


The Oakeley 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: Non timeo sed caveo
Motto Translation: I do not fear, but am careful.


  1. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. 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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