The ancestors of the bearers of the Peil family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found by the palisade. Peel was a square tower in olden times. Peil is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a 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.
The surname Peil was first found in Yorkshire 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 Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peil research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1556, 1598 and are included under the topic Early Peil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Peil include Peel, Peal, Peale, Peele and others.
Distinguished members of the family include George Peele (c1556-1598), Elizabethan translator, poet, and dramatist who some claim collaborated with William Shakespeare on the play Titus Andronicus; and Sir Robert Peel, statesman, who as Home...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peil Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Peil family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Peil or a variant listed above: