The name Stapil reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Stapil family as they migrated following the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The Stapil family lived in
Somerset. Their name, however, is a reference to
Estaples, Normandy. Etaples is a small seaport on the French coast about 10 miles from Boulogne. Alternatively, the name could have been an
occupational name for someone who works in a stable, or someone who lives near a stable.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) Early Origins of the Stapil family
The surname Stapil was first found in
Somerset where one of the first records of the family was Robert del Estable who was listed there in the Assize Rolls of 1270. Walter de la Stable was listed in the
Subsidy Rolls of
Worcestershire in 1275 and later Robert
atte Stable was listed in the
Subsidy Rolls of
Sussex in 1327.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X) Staple Fitzpaine dates back to the
Domesday Book of 1086 and at that time was a small hamlet having a Mill and 100 goats. The original name of this hamlet was Estapla. The
Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Alan le Stabler in Cambridgeshire; William le Stabler in Huntingdonshire; and Thomas le Stabeler in
Lincolnshire.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Stapil family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stapil research.
Another 363 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1196, 1257, 1275, 1270, 1327, 1432, 1460 and 1468 are included under the topic Early Stapil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Stapil Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of
spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Stable, Stapler, Stables, Stabler, Stabyl, Stabil, Stabils, Stibils, Stibles and many more.
Early Notables of the Stapil family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Stapil Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Stapil family to the New World and Oceana
Because of the political and religious discontent in
England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Stapil name or one of its variants: Edith Stable, who was on record in Virginia in 1674; as well as John and Mary Stabler of Sunderland, who arrived in New Orleans, LA on March 19, 1852 from Liverpool on the ".