I have done this search for the Iles surname. So first is the World Wide Map. - The United Kingdom and Australia have the highest concentration of the surname with Australia edging out the United Kingdom by a small fraction. They were followed by New Zealand, then Serbia and then Canada. .
This map shows the distribution in the United Kingdom. The southwest now has the greatest concentration over the West Midlands area where our family came from before coming to Canada. The southwest area includes Gloucestershire where I have found the beginnings of the Iles family in my research. .
In Canada, Ontario has the highest concentration with the Prairie provinces and Quebec having about the same.
© 2009 Janet Iles
Posts
Janet - There was a photographer named Arthur James Iles in New Zealand from the late 1860s at least until the late 1930s. He started off as an assistant in a Dunedin studio and then operated in several other South Island towns before moving to the North Island in the 1890s.
ReplyDeleteI have a wonderful large hand-coloured albumen print of the hot springs at Whakarewarewa, near Rotorua, taken by Iles, as well as an early carte de visite portrait from his South Island days.
Regards and best wishes, Brett
There is more about Iles and an exhibition at the Rotorua Museum here.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brett. It would be interesting to pursue this and see if the Iles who went to New Zealand have any connection to any of my relatives.
ReplyDeleteHi Janet
ReplyDeleteI was born a LYLE in Toronto. A few years ago I managed to knock down the brick wall blocking me from tracing my maiden surname and found my roots in Yorkshire North Riding. Amongst the various spellings that I came across was EYLES in Patrick Brompton parish--two very large old gravestones right in front of the church.
I didn't manage to figure out any connection to the Eyles, my Lyle surname turned into LIE in the 18th century.
Pat Jeffs
Pat
ReplyDeleteSome early documents for Iles are also spelt Eyles in Gloucestershire in the Parish of Brimpsfield and area.
Hello Janet
ReplyDeleteMy great grandmother's maiden name was "Eels." I just received a book on the family which was compiled in the early 1900s. I think the tracing of lineage goes back to the 17th century. I would guess both names derive from the same source (French Norman?) Cheers
Karl Liebhardt
Karl, I wouldn't be surprised if the name goes back to France but at this point, the earliest I found them is in Gloucestershire in the 1800s.
ReplyDelete