Wooller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Wooller reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is based on the Norman given name Willard. This name is derived from the Germanic roots will, meaning desire, and heard, meaning strong or hard. 1

Early Origins of the Wooller family

The surname Wooller was first found in east Kent and Sussex where they were Lords of the Manor of Eastbourne. The family were originally named Villiard, or Guillarrt, and were from Caen in Normandy in pre Conquest times. 2 In the Domesday Book they are recorded variously as Wielardus, Wilardus, and Wlward. 3 4 Further speculation on the origin of this distinguished family name of the U.S.A., can be deduced from the Willard Memoir by Joseph Willard published in Boston Mass. in 1858. 4 Woollard is a small village on the River Chew in the Chew Valley in East Somerset. Some of the first records of the name include: Wihelardus de Trophil who was listed in the History of Northumberland in 1168 and Wilard de Pikeeden who was listed in the same source in 1227. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Emayn Wylard. William Willarde was listed in Kent in 1602 and Nicholas Willard from Kent married Jane Coumber at Canterbury in 1690. 5

Early History of the Wooller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wooller research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1605, 1617, 1630, 1634, 1640, 1643, 1672, 1676, 1692, 1701 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Wooller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wooller Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Wooller have been found, including Willard, Wilard, Viliard, Villiard, Wielard, Willardby, Willardsey, Willardsham, Willardstone and many more.

Early Notables of the Wooller family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Simon Willard (1605-1676), English settler to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1634, he was one of the thirteen heads of families in Concord that signed Reverend Peter Bulkeley's 1643 petition to Governor John Endecott in support of Ambrose Martin...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wooller Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wooller migration to Australia +

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

Wooller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Samuel Wooller, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6

Wooller 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:

Wooller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Wooller, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1878
Emma Wooller, aged 25, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1878
Alfred C. Wooller, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Wooller (post 1700) +

Robert Wooller (b. 1817), English cricketer
Fred Wooller (b. 1938), former Australian rules footballer
Wilfred Wooller (1912-1997), Welsh cricketer, rugby union footballer, cricket administrator and journalist

Historic Events for the Wooller family +

HMS Dorsetshire

George William Wooller (d. 1945), British Electrical Artificer 4th Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 7

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html