Thornely History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins and Etymology of Thornely

The surname Thornely was first found in Durham at Thornley, a village near Peterlee that dates back to 1071-7080 when it was listed as Thornhlawa. The place name literally means "thorn-tree hill or mound" from the Old English words thorn + hlaw. 1 Another Thornley is found in the same county between Crook and Wolsingham, south of Tow Law and finally, Thornley-with-Wheatley is a civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire.

Early History of the Thornely family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thornely research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1510, 1535 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Thornely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thornely Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Thornley, Thornleigh, Thornlea, Thornlie and others.

Early Notables of the Thornely family

More information is included under the topic Early Thornely Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Thornely family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..

Contemporary Notables of the name Thornely (post 1700) +

Sir Arnold Thornely (1870-1953), English architect, best known for his design of the Parliament Buildings, Belfast

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)