The Earl surname originates about 40 years after the Conquest of England by William the Conqueror, with the Norman "de Erleigh" family of knightly rank who took their name from land in Berkshire. The land called Earley or Erlegh, located near Reading, included two manors. These manors from which they took their name, along with substantial holdings in Somerset were given to this family by King Henry I when he came to power in 1100. The first to take the name de Erleigh was John de Erleigh who was born about 1105 and was a knight. The American Earle surname in all the very earliest records is written with the final e, but the orthography soon begins to vary and runs into the several forms—Earl, Earls, Earles, Earll, Erl and Erle. There are several branches of the Earle family in the United States which have their parent American stem in emigrants from England. The American Earle family that originated from Massachusetts is a notable family of artists, businessmen, and statesmen. This American branch of the family was most prominent in New England, especially Massachusetts, from the 17th century to the 19th century. The various branches of the English Earle family originated from the county of Somerset, with later major family branches in Devon county and throughout England. The Massachusetts Earle family began with Ralph Earle the immigrant ancestor who arrived in Boston Colony with his wife Joan. There is a tradition among his descendants that he came from Exeter in England, in the year 1634. Ralph Earle may have come with a group of puritans led by John Cotton with William and Anne Hutchinson who also arrived in 1634 on the ship ‘Griffen”. The ship brought 200 passengers but the passenger list is not complete so we do not know for sure whether he was on this ship or another. The earliest official trace of Ralph Earle is in the records of Newport, R. I. His name is found under the date of "first of eighth month", 1638, in a list with fifty-eight others, arranged as "A catalogue of such persons who, by the General consent of the company, were admitted to the Inhabitants of the Island now called Aqueedneck, having submitted themselves to the Government that is, or shall be, established according to the word of God therein." This group left the under the leadership of John Clarke and William Coddington, left the Boston colony in order to settle elsewhere.They were able to purchase from the Indians the beautiful island of Aquidneck, officially Rhode Island and founded the town of Portsmouth. In 1888, Pliny Earle a direct descendant, published a comprehensive genealogical record of the family of Ralph and Joan Earle, listing 4,000 descendants of the immigrant settler. Most of the information in this article and the listed family members is from his work. Below are some of the prominent Earle family members who have biographies on historical record.
