© Mary Wiley Campbell
Origin and Etymology
Hereditary Surnames
The Normans introduced hereditary surnames to Britain with the conquest in 1066. Not all Normans used surnames, which had come into fashion in Normandy two to three generations earlier. In fact, William “the Conqueror” did not use a surname. The process of conquest transferred large estates to the Norman Barons. The transfer from native Anglo Saxon Lords to the newly arrived Norman Barons and their underlings would stimulate the adoption of surnames as a means of solidifying their hereditary claims. Further, the introduction of the manorial land holding system was accompanied by a penchant for record keeping by the Normans. The manorial court records and tax returns provide us with evidence of the gradual adoption of surnames by the Saxon population. The Saxons were quick to adopt the personal names of their overlords. This led to confusion, as a limited number of Norman forenames came into use replacing the more traditional Saxon forenames. In order to distinguish one William from another, “by” names were adopted. Where the individual lived on the manor, their personal peculiarities, or their occupations, were often used to differentiate one resident from another. Two sets of forces came into play in the process of surname adoption. First the practice was influenced by one’s social status. The adoption of surnames worked its way down the social hierarchy, from Baron to minor Lords, to Knights and eventually to the peasant. Second, the process had a geographic element. From the heartland in the south, the adoption of surnames spread north eventually reaching Northumberland and Cumberland. Remote areas were less likely to adopt the practice. In Cornwall, place names were frequently used as the basis of surnames. However, in Wales, Northumbria, the Borders, and in Lowland Scotland, patronymic forms were more common. Given the limited selection of Norman forenames, it is not surprising that William was widely used among the Celts and Britons. Williams is the second leading surname in Wales; Williamson is common in the north east; and Wilson was widely used in the north and throughout the lowlands of Scotland. Finally, Wylie developed in the Lowlands and the Borders of Scotland. It is probable that several distinct geographic clusters of the surname emerged in the LowlandsOrigins of the Wylie Surname
Multiple geographic origins are suggested by George F. Black in The Surnames of Scotland, where he identifies Wylie Wyllie as a diphthongized form of Willie, a diminutive of WILLIAM. He gives numerous examples that provide clues to its distribution in medieval times. Noted Irish surname scholar Edward MacLysaght identifies the origin of the surname as Scottish. He advances the following etymology: “Wylie, Wiley an English toponymic which came to Ireland at the time of the Plantation of Ulster at the beginning of the seventeenth century and is now numerous, especially in Co. Antrim. There are some families of the name in Co. Clare who use the form Ó hUallaigh in Irish: they may be of different origin.” However, given Black’s medieval exemplars, patronymic origins are far more likely. Finally, Robert Bell in The Book of Ulster Surnames supports Black’s explanation concerning the surname’s etymological origins.England
P. H. Reaney in the Dictionary of English Surnames identifies several sources for the surname in southern England. Notably Wylye a parish in Wiltshire, appears in the Domesday Book. Its etymology is linked to the river Wylye (Wy) and a cluster of the Wilie/Willie surnames is found nearby. The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland For Wiley has: English: locative name from various places ... such as Wylye (Wilts), Wyly in East Hoathly (Sussex), Whiligh in Ticehurst (Sussex), Weeley (Essex), Weoley (Worcs), and Willey (Cheshire, Devon, Herefs, Shrops, Surrey, Warwicks). The Whaley surname also has a decidedly English bias. Clusters of the surname are found in the vicinity of landscape features and place names bearing the name Whaley. Among the more intriguing variants also with an English focus is a complex of surnames beginning with the “Wy” prefix. Located in the English Midlands, the surnames are almost certainly Welsh in origin and formed from diminutives of William. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Cambro Norman Barons settled in Wales which became the launching point for their invasion of Ireland in 1169. The Welsh were late adopting hereditary surnames and the practice of patronymic naming continued well into the 19th century. As was the custom in England, the Welsh named their children after English Monarchs, notably William the Conqueror. Guillaume is the French equivalent of William. Contact with the Norman Barons resulted in William becoming a favoured forename. In Welsh it was recorded as Gwilym, “Will - im,” and the diminutive “Gwil -e” was common. In the 18th and 19th century, the Welsh were drawn to the Midlands by the industrial revolution. Not bearing heredity surnames, they were known by their pet names, which in turn became their surname, Wyley and related forms. Today the more formal Williams is the third most common surname in Wales. Return to the top
© Mary Wiley Campbell
The Late 19th Century Distribution
Map viewing Tips The 1881 Census provides us with a starting point in the study of the Wilie surname. The Wilie maps illustrated above demonstrate three ways of visualizing the 1881 Census data. 1. The data was first mapped as an area fill map in which the two primary variants, Wylie and Wyllie were aggregated and displayed as a Banwell index. In this map the population of Wylie/Wyllies was 20x the nation average. 2. The data was then mapped using proportional circles to segregate the two variants. The first example displays the surname using absolute numbers. This method illustrates the dominance of the Glasgow Metropolis. 3. With the final map the population was expressed per 100,000 population. With this approach we can see the double “ll” Wyllie variant is more dominant in south central Ayrshire, the Wylie form is more common in northern Ayrshire and in Renfrewshire. *The Banwell Index map is based on both Wylie and Wyllie forms. The distribution of the surname displays the two major Scottish forms.
Calculating the Banwell index: The index compares
the frequency and intensity of a surname at the national
level with the frequency at the local level, for example a
parish. So if a given surname was calculated to be .1% of
the national population and .7% of a parish population,
the index would be .7 / .1 = 7, or 7 times as intense at the
local level. Typically when the Banwell index is mapped,
a core area will emerge. As you move away from the core,
the values will decline. Geographers refer to this as
distance decay.
Areas of high intensity can assist in identifying a
surnames homeland. It can take generations for core areas
to develop. Using census substitutes or historic data
sources it may be possible to extend the time frame back
to the early 1600’s and the Plantation of Ulster.
Surnames based on occupations or personal names can
have multiple core areas. It is Common to find multiple
origins in Ulster resulting from multiple migration
streams. Typically Ulster will have 3,4,5, core areas for a
given surname while in Scotland there tend to be fewer
core areas.
© Mary Wiley Campbell
*The data is based on the distribution of the Wylie variant.
No distinction is made between the incidence of births or marriage as
the intent is to illustrate the presence of the surname in specific
locations and time periods.
© Mary Wiley Campbell
•
Select maps or record sets in any order from the top
or side menus.
•
Click map images or data sets to enlarge.
•
Click the image to reduce the image size.
•
Click outside the image to remove it from the display
area.
Maps
Lowlands
N.E. Lowlands
Data
© Mary Wiley Campbell
Map Viewing Area
Click the map to enlarge
and view the slide show
The Ayrshire Time Series*
*The data is based on the distribution of the Wylie
variant. No distinction is made between the incidence of
births or marriage as the intent is to illustrate the
presence of the surname in specific locations and time
periods.
© Mary Wiley Campbell
Welcome to the GeoGenealogy
website!
My name is Howard Mathieson, I’m the creator of the GeoGenealogy mapping service. I’m a retired Geography Instructor with a background in Geographic Information Systems. I retired in 2000 after 30 years of teaching. Since that time I have turned much of my attention to GeoGenealogy, the application of Geography to Genealogy. I specialize in mapping the genealogy of the Ulster and Scotland. I produce a wide range of maps, from surname distribution maps, county maps, thematic maps, and maps geared to your personal needs. If you are writing a book, building a web page, or planning a reunion, my maps can provide context and interest for your project. Contact me by e-mail with the heading “map enquiry”and we can discuss your project. Feel free to download any of the maps on the site. On a personal note, I winter in Arizona, where I lecture for groups and societies on topics relating to the Genealogy of the British Isles. The remainder of my time is split between Winnipeg and my cottage in Lake of the Woods Ontario. My other interests are gardening at the lake and spending time with my family.
The Map Maker
© Mary Wiley Campbell
Map Viewing Tips
Displaying map images:
• Map images are displayed by selecting the blue link associated with the map description. To close the small map image, left click anywhere on the screen. • Each map can be enlarged by clicking on the small image. To reduce the image size, click again. A large map can be removed by clicking the mouse anywhere on the map, or on the X in the upper left corner of the map. Viewing a slide show: • When viewing a large scale map, a set of controls appears at the bottom of the map. Select the symbol to advance and view the next map on the page. Use the to view the maps in reverse order. • The sides can be viewed automatically by selecting the ► symbol. The maps will be viewed sequentially at three second intervals. • To stop the Slide show at any point click the symbol. • To resume the slide show select the symbol again. In most devices a slide strip appears at the bottom of your browser screen. Images can also be selected by clicking on a thumbnail. • If you can’t see the slide strip, reposition a large scale map in your viewing window by holding your left mouse key on the image and drag. This will allow you to view the slides in any order.
© Mary Wiley Campbell
The Scottish Distribution
The Census and historical time series can provide the surname researcher with two different but complementary windows into the past, one a dynamic picture that unfolds through the ages, the other a snapshot taken at a point in time. The Wylie time series is like coming into a movie having missed the first 20 minutes, but you are still able to pick up the threads of the plot. By the late 16th century, surnames had been in use in Scotland for 200 to 300 years, and hereditary surnames, like DNA, would be carried forward by each generation to the present. Wylie (Wyllie), a patronymic surname, would be established in Scotland in regions where William was a common forename. While the early picture is incomplete, as record keeping and the maintenance of parish records became standardized, we can see the surname take hold in scores of locales. Demographic circumstances, economic conditions, rising and falling rents, bumper crops, climatic change, famine or feast would impact each family’s future. In some cases families would prosper and survive, in others hard times would see the family surname either relocate or expire. By the early 18th century, records were more reliable and the fortunes of families in specific locales can be more accurately followed. Certainly by 1700, major core areas were well established in Ayrshire, Kincardineshire, Angus, the Lothians and Fife. Each of these centres would persist into the late 19th century. Over time, the core region would throw off “satellites,” some of which would be transitory, while others would result in the expansion of the surname homeland. We can see the impact of the industrial revolution unfold in the time series. Beginning in the mid 18th century, metropolitan centres like Glasgow and Edinburgh would provide opportunity for the surplus sons and daughters of rural families or village dwellers. The product of rapid demographic change, they would stream to the cities in large numbers. Industrial workers, domestic servants, housekeepers, and weavers fill the pages of the census. The census, on the other hand, gives a snapshot view, an accumulation of the dynamism of the preceding centuries of change. When viewed in the aggregate, we can clearly see the impact of urbanization. Centres like Glasgow are dominant and stand out on the maps. But the census data can also be viewed in relative terms to identify the forces that shaped the past. Adjusted for population and expressed per 100,000 population, we can identify where a surname has done disproportionately well, or, alternatively, not so well. Finally, the 1881 census, like the time series, can be used to identify areas of persistence. By creating a Banwell Index we can measure intensity. High Banwell indexes take generations to build; in the case of more populous areas like Ayrshire, it would take centuries. Comparing the areas with high index values with the early 18th century parish records, the correlation clearly illustrates the value of the Banwell index. *In the Scottish portion of the web site, it should be assumed, unless otherwise stated, that the surname spelling is of the Wylie variant form. On National Time Series or parish records map variants may have been combined. Back to top
Calculating the Banwell index: The index compares the frequency
and intensity of a surname at the national level with the frequency
at the local level, for example a parish. So if a given surname was
calculated to be .1% of the national population and .7% of a parish
population, the index would be .7 / .1 = 7, or 7 times as intense at
the local level. Typically when the Banwell index is mapped, a core
area will emerge. As you move away from the core, the values will
decline. Geographers refer to this as distance decay.
Areas of high intensity can assist in identifying a surnames
homeland. It can take generations for core areas to develop. Using
census substitutes or historic data sources it may be possible to
extend the time frame back to the early 1600’s and the Plantation of
Ulster.
Surnames based on occupations or personal names can have
multiple core areas. It is Common to find multiple origins in Ulster
resulting from multiple migration streams. Typically Ulster will
have 3,4,5, core areas for a given surname while in Scotland there
tend to be fewer core areas.
© Mary Wiley Campbell
From the Bookshelf
Recomended Reading
• Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians. This fully revised second edition of Ian Maxwell’s Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors is a lively and accessible introduction to Scotland’s long, complex and fascinating story. It is aimed primarily at family historians who are eager to explore and understand the world in which their ancestors lived. • Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: The Official Guide Sixth edition. This is a new edition of the bestselling guide to this increasingly popular pursuit. Scotland has the best-maintained records and facilities of any country in the world for undertaking family research, and now that the National Records of Scotland are available online they can be consulted by anyone from whatever country. Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors is the National Records' official guide and is written in an accessible style from the unique perspective of a custodian of the records. It details all the latest internet developments, including a chapter on family history on the web. It also points to more traditional resources, explaining step by step how to research records of births, marriages and wills. • The Original Scots Colonists of Early America, 1612-1783 About 150,000 Scots emigrated to America before the Revolutionary War, but the records on them are notoriously hard to find. However, it has been clear for some time that in archives in Scotland and England there is much information on a number of these emigrants. David Dobson has extracted data from a wide variety of sources including family and estate papers, testamentary and probate records, burgh muniments, sasine and deed registers, Sheriff's Court records, Court of Session and High Court of Judiciary records, port books, customs registers, contemporary diaries and journals, contemporary newspapers and magazines, professional and university records, Privy Council and colonial records, records of Episcopalian and Presbyterian churches, monumental inscription lists, and the 1774-75 Register of Emigrants. For each of the 7,000 persons listed, a maximum of twenty-three points of information is provided: name, date of birth or baptism, place of birth, occupation, place of education, cause of banishment (where applicable), residence, parents' names, emigration date and whether voluntarily or involuntarily transported, port of embarkation, destination, name of ship, place and date of arrival, place of settlement, names of spouse and children, date and place of death, where buried, probate record, and source citation. • Discover Your Scottish Ancestry: Internet and Traditional Resources This illuminating guide to discovering your Scottish family history has been fully revised and updated to take account of changes to resources and methods for researching your Scottish ancestry over the last few years. Accessible in style and comprehensive in coverage, this new edition stresses the importance of traditional methods of family history research while also embracing the exciting possibilities afforded by new technologies, sources and developments in genetic science.Indispensable to both the fledgling researcher and the more experienced family history specialist in Scotland or elsewhere, this book provides a guide to the very latest resources available to assist with research. Covering Scottish primary and secondary sources in full detail, this book also provides illustrative case studies of family history research, lists of useful websites and archives, and family history organisations and societies.Highlights of this new edition:*An updated chapter dedicated to aspects of recording, scanning and storing information*New insight into accessing English, Irish, emigrant and immigrant records*An update on developments in DNA genetics of relevance to the genealogist*A substantial and broad- ranging bibliography essential for those who want to take their research even further. • The Scots: A Genetic Journey This unique “fusion of science and the physical history” traces the story of the Scots through their DNA (Sunday Herald). An almost limitless archive of our history lies hidden inside our bodies, and this book traces the ancient story of Scotland from that scientific viewpoint. The mushrooming of genetic studies, of DNA analysis, is rewriting history in spectacular fashion. In Scotland: A Genetic Journey, Alistair Moffat explores the history that is printed on our genes, and in a remarkable new approach, uncovers the detail of where Scots are from, where they have journeyed, and who they are—and in so doing, vividly colors in a DNA map of Scotland. • In Search of Your Scottish Ancestors Get started on researching your Scottish ancestors. This handy quick guide details record sources both on-line and off-line. If you have Scottish ancestry, this book is a MUST have. • Scottish Genealogy by Bruce Durie THIS fully revised and updated fourth edition of Scottish Genealogy is a comprehensive guide to tracing your family history in Scotland. Written by one of the most authoritative figures on the subject, the work is based on established genealogical practice and is designed to exploit the rich resources that Scotland has to offer. After all, this country has possibly the most complete and best-kept set of records and other documents in the world. Addressing the questions of DNA, palaeography and the vexed issues of clans, families and tartans, and with a new chapter on DNA and genetic genealogy, Bruce Durie presents a fascinating insight into discovering Scottish ancestors. He covers both physical and electronic sources, explains how to get beyond the standard ‘births, marriages and deaths plus census’ research, and reminds the reader that there are more tools than just the internet. Comparisons are made with records in England, Ireland and elsewhere, and all of the 28 million people who claim Scottish ancestry worldwide will find something in this book to challenge and stimulate. Informative and entertaining, this new edition is the definitive reader-friendly guide to genealogy and family history in Scotland. Back to top
GeoGenealogy
The Wiley Surname Study
GeoGenealogy
The Wiley surname Study
GeoGenealogy
The 1881 Census
GeoGenealogy
The Old Parish Records
GeoGenealogy
Client Sourced Records
GeoGenealogy
The Wiley’s In Ayrshire
GeoGenealogy
GeoGenealogy