Contents [hide]

Wiley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Wiley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The ancient Scottish name Wiley was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The original bearer of the name lived in Dumfries where today more often than not, the name is typically spelt either Wylie or Wyllie. 1

Early Origins of the Wiley family

The surname Wiley was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), where the first on record was Donald Wyly, tenant of Thornhill, Dumfriesshire, 1376. Later, John Wili held a land in Montrose, 1431, and Robert Wylye was vicar of Kilcoldrum, 1434. William Wyly, was a witness in Prestwick, Ayrshire, 1446, Robert Wyly, was a charter witness in Glasgow, 1454, and Richard Wyly, was vicar of Dundee in 1458. 1

Early History of the Wiley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wiley research. Another 218 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1509, 1529, 1530, 1550, 1563, 1575, 1590, 1642, 1643, 1645, 1653, 1659, 1680, 1768, 1772, 1790, 1794, 1799, 1801, 1802, 1808, 1819, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1831, 1833, 1835, 1839, 1841, 1847, 1850, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1855, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860, 1862, 1865, 1870, 1871, 1890 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Wiley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wiley Spelling Variations

The many spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names result from the fact that scribes in that era spelled words according to sound. Translation too, was an undeveloped science, and many names were altered into complete obscurity. Over the years Wiley has been spelled Wiley, Wylie, Whyley, Wyley, Wilie, Wyllie and others.

Early Notables of the Wiley family

Notable amongst the family at this time was George Wyllys or Wyllis (1590-1645), born at the manor of Fenny Compton in Warwickshire, an English-born, early American politician who served as the 4th Governor of the Connecticut Colony (1642-1643.)Sir James Wylie (1768-1854), Scottish physician at the court of Russia, was born at Kincardine-on-Forth in 1768. His parents (William Wylie and Janet Meiklejohn) were in a humble position. He received the degree of M.D. from King's College, Aberdeen, on 22 Dec. 1794. In 1790 he entered the Russian service as senior...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wiley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wiley Ranking

In the United States, the name Wiley is the 593^rd most popular surname with an estimated 49,740 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Wiley family to Ireland

Some of the Wiley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wiley migration to the United States +

To escape the uncertainties and discrimination faced in Scotland, many decided to head out for North America. Once they arrived, many Scots fought with relish in the American War of Independence; some went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Many ancestors of these Scots have recovered their lost national heritage in the 20th century through Clan organizations and Scottish historical societies. Among the settlers to North America were:

Wiley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Wiley, who landed in Maryland in 1674 3

Wiley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Sarah Wiley, who landed in New England in 1718 3
Betty Wiley, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 3
James Wiley, his wife and two sisters, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766
James Wiley, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 3
Jane Wiley, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wiley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Wiley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1807 3
Richard Wiley, who arrived in South Carolina in 1808 3
Paul Wiley, aged 78, who landed in America in 1822 3
Joseph Wiley, aged 28, who landed in America in 1822 3
Paul Wiley aged 78, who arrived in New York in 1822 with his family
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wiley migration to Australia +

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

Wiley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Wiley, aged 30, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Lismoyne"
Catherine Wiley, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Thomas Arbuthnot"
Sarah Wiley, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Thomas Arbuthnot"

Wiley 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:

Wiley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Wiley, who landed in Tamaki, Auckland, New Zealand in 1843

Wiley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Wiley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Isaac Wiley, who settled in Barbados in 1663

Contemporary Notables of the name Wiley (post 1700) +

William T. Wiley (1937-2021), American artist, known for his drawing, painting, sculpture, film, performance, and pinball
Samira Denise Wiley (b. 1987), American actress best known for Orange Is the New Black and The Handmaid's Tale, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Stephen Bradford Wiley (1929-2015), American Democratic Party politician, Member of the New Jersey Senate (1974-1978)
George Wiley (1881-1954), American sliver and bronze medalist for cycling at the 1904 Summer Games
Lee Wiley (1908-1975), American popular jazz singer in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s
William Wiley, American sailor of the United States Navy, eponym of the USS Wiley (DD-597), a Fletcher-class destroyer
Marcellus Vernon Wiley (b. 1974), retired American NFL football defensive end, current co-host of SportsNation on ESPN 2
Charles Wiley (d. 1826), American founder of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., a global publishing company in 1807, best known for their For Dummies books
Autrey Nell Wiley (1901-1990), American literary critic and professor
John Cooper Wiley (1893-1967), American Foreign Service officer and ambassador
... (Another 67 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wiley family +

Monongah Mine

Mr. George Wiley (b. 1869), American coal miner who was in mine 6 at the Monongah Mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 5

The Wiley 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: Fides
Motto Translation: Faith.

Citations +

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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).