Contents [hide]

Villiers History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Villiers History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Villier was originally a name given to a person that planted, or primarily worked with, a plant called "vrilles", or in English, "tendril" 1.

Early Origins of the Villiers family

The surname Villiers was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this noted family has been traced from ancient times.

Several members contributed greatly to the arts and literature of France. Pierre de Villiers (1648-1728) was a preacher and a poet whose most famous project "L'art de prêcher" was published in 1682. Cosme de Villiers (1683-1758), a friar, was a noted scholar. Pierre Villiers (1760-1849) was a dramatic author.

The family grew and branched to other regions in France, where a good number of Lords came from families through marriage.

Early History of the Villiers family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Villiers research. Another 35 words (2 lines of text) covering the year 1146 is included under the topic Early Villiers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Villiers Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Villiers, Villier, Viliers, Vilier, Viliais, Villiais, Villiez, Viliez, Villié, Vilié, Villiée, Viliée and many more.

Early Notables of the Villiers family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Pierre de Villiers, preacher, poet

Villiers Ranking

In France, the name Villiers is the 7,555^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Villiers migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Villiers Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A. Villiers who settled in New Orleans La. in 1822
A. Villiers, who settled in New Orleans in 1822
John Villiers, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1823 3
M. C. Villiers, who settled in New Orleans La. in 1823
A. Villiers, who settled in New York state in 1823
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Villiers Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Hon. George Herbert Hyde Villiers, aged 6, who landed in America from London, England, in 1912
Adeleine Verna Isabel Villiers, aged 26, who settled in America from London, England, in 1912
Aaron A. Villiers, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica, in 1917
Evelyn Villiers, aged 43, who landed in America from Woking, Eng., in 1918
Freda Villiers, aged 17, who immigrated to the United States from Belfast, Ireland, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Villiers migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Villiers Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Adeluna Verena Villiers, aged 28, who settled in Pickering, Canada, in 1914
George Herbert Arthur Villiers, aged 7, who immigrated to Pickering, Ontario, in 1914

Villiers migration to Australia +

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

Villiers Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Villiers, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Villiers 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:

Villiers Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Villiers, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842

Contemporary Notables of the name Villiers (post 1700) +

George Villiers (1759-1827), British courtier and politician, Member of Parliament for Warwick (1792-1800)
John Villiers (1757-1838), 3rd Earl of Clarendon, Member of Parliament for Old Sarum (1784-1790)
Thomas Villiers (1753-1824), 2nd Earl of Clarendon, Member of Parliament for Christchurch (1774-1780)
Thomas Villiers (1709-1786), 1st Earl of Clarendon, British politician and diplomat, Postmaster General (1763-1765) and in 1786
William Villiers (1707-1769), 3rd Earl of Jersey, Justice in Eyre south of the Trent (1740-1746), founding Governor of the Foundling Hospital
Countess Barbara Villiers (1640-1709), Countess of Castlemaine
Charles Pelham Villiers (1802-1898), British lawyer and politician, longest serving Member of Parliament
George Villiers, 4th Earl of Jersey, English peer
Edward Villiers Rippingille (1798-1859), English painter and writer on art, son of a farmer at King's Lynn in Norfolk
Stephen Villiers Appleby (1912-1984), English pilot, a leading proponent of the Mignet Pou-du-Ciel "Flying Flea" aircraft

The Villiers 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: La main a l'oeuvre
Motto Translation: The hand work

Citations +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth