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Smalley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Smalley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Smalley was derived from the Old English word "smael" and the Middle English word "smel" which both mean "small, slender, thin" 1

Early Origins of the Smalley family

The surname Smalley was first found in Derbyshire at Smalley, a chapelry, in the parish of Morley, union of Belper, hundred of Morleston and Litchurch. 2

However, early records of the name are scattered throughout England: William Smale was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcester in 1275; Alexander le Smele was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1221; and William le Smale was listed in 1294. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following entries: Robert le Small in Huntingdon; and Henry Smale in Cambridgeshire. Later Willelmus Smale was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, and in 1468, Thomas Smale was listed as rector of Lerling in Norfolk. 3

We would be remiss if we didn't mention the Scottish connection to the name. "A deed of 1283 runs in the name of 'Oliverus et Ricardus Smally prepositi et ceteri prepositi ac cives Glasguenses congregati in placitis burgi que tenebantur apud Glasgu.' " 4 At about the same time, Ricardus Smaley witnessed a sale of land in Glasgow, c. 1280-1290.

Early History of the Smalley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smalley research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1438, 1440, 1458, 1530, 1577, 1578, 1596, 1615 and 1665 are included under the topic Early Smalley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smalley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Smale, Smail, Smalley, Smaley and others.

Early Notables of the Smalley family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Smalley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smalley Ranking

In the United States, the name Smalley is the 2,836^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5

Smalley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Smalley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Smalley, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1632 6
John Smalley, who landed in New England in 1644 6

Smalley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

E, Smalley Jr., who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
Henry Smalley, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1861 6
Giles Smalley, who settled in Philadelphia in 1875
Luke Smalley, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1876
B. B. Smalley, aged 60, who immigrated to America from Southampton, in 1896
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Smalley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Arthur Smalley, aged 55, who immigrated to the United States from Cheedle, Cheshire, in 1906
Ethel Smalley, aged 31, who settled in America from Beckenham, England, in 1910
Edgar Smalley, aged 33, who landed in America from Manchester, England, in 1910
Clara Smalley, aged 68, who landed in America from Manchester, England, in 1920
Arthur Smalley, aged 69, who landed in America from Manchester, England, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Smalley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Smalley Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Alice Smalley, aged 36, who settled in Calgary, Canada, in 1913
Ethel Smalley, aged 10, who settled in Calgary, Canada, in 1913

Smalley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Smalley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Nicholas Smalley, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. William Smalley, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Walter Smalley, (Smaller), (b. 1793), aged 47, English carpenter who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for 10 years for felony, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1854 9
Eliza Smalley, English convict from Lincoln, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on October 4, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10

Smalley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Smalley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Mr. Smalley, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Victory " arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 17th October 1863 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Smalley (post 1700) +

Dr. Gary Smalley (1940-2016), American family counselor, president and founder of the Smalley Relationship Center
Richard Smalley (1943-2005), American Professor of Physics and Astronomy, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry(1996)
Wendell Phillips Smalley (1875-1939), American silent film director and actor
Kyle E. Smalley, American amateur astronomer, eponym of the asteroid 36445 Smalley
Anthony A. Smalley (1836-1894), American ensign in the United States Navy during the American Civil War, eponym of USS Smalley (DD-565)
Dayton Burleigh Smalley (1878-1958), American politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives, 1937-39; Member of Vermont State Senate, 1941 12
David D. Smalley, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Somerset County, 1872-73 12
David Allen Smalley (1809-1877), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Vermont State Senate, 1843-44; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Vermont, 1852, 1856; U.S. Collector of Customs, 1853-57 12
Carolyn W. Smalley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 1972 12
Bradley Barlow Smalley (1835-1909), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives from Burlington, 1874, 1878; Member of Democratic National Committee from Vermont, 1876 12
... (Another 25 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Smalley family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Jack G. Smalley, American Seaman First Class from Ohio, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 13

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1851 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1851
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html