This study is mostly about the Allday & Alday Surnames.  Other variants such as Aldaye, Alday, Aldey and Aldy are mentioned for historical purposes only because most of these old ways of spelling the name have transitioned in modern times to the Allday or the Alday spelling.  For information about the Audley spelling variation, take a look at the Audley One-Name Study on the Guild.

Alldaye – Aldaye

These spellings occur mostly in historical England in the middle to late 1500s and rarely made it into the early 1600s.  The additional “e” at the end is possibly a carryover from the days of Latin or simply the Old English variations when such an additional “e” at the end of a word was common.  Example of such an extra “e” is “sonne” for “son” etc.

Aldy, Aldey, Alday & Aldai

The “e” at the end of Aldaye in England seemed to end early to mid 1500s and the Aldy, Aldey and Alday versions were very common.  This was true for Europeans and Spaniards although later the distinction between Europeans and Spaniards would be further separated into Allday and Alday.   Alday and Aldai is the same last name and used interchangeably in the Basque and other parts of Spain and in some cases, in historic England, Germany and other European countries.

Allday

Towards the latter half of the 1600s the two L version of Allday arrived in England, but there were still the variants of Aldy, Aldey and Alday.  In the 1700s there begins a clear distinction between the Allday and Alday name variants.  The Europeans usually kept the two Ls (but not always) and the Spaniards, or those of Spanish descent, had mostly transitioned to just one L in their name.  Thus, most of the Aldays in Spain, Peru, South & Central America have just one L whereas usually the modern day English have two Ls.  Those in the United States have either one L or two Ls and the spelling by itself does not tell us if an Alday has Spanish descent or not.  Sometimes the families could not spell their own name and it was left to the recorder to spell it they way they felt it should be spelt.  This lead to quite a few variations besides Allday and Allday but none of any great quantity worth mentioning here.  Occasionaly you see the name incorrectly spelled Aulday on older documents which phonetically seemed correct to the scriber.  Y-DNA testing at www.FamilyTreeDNA.com proved that some of the American Alldays and Aldays both share the exact same paternal roots.  For example, the surname is spelled both ways on the same page of my Great Great Great Grandfather Richard Allday’s marriage certificate in 1824 in Wilcox County, Alabama, USA.  Some of Richard’s grandchildren used one L in their name and others used two LLs in their name.  This tradition carries on today from one marriage license to birth certificate to another.  This is typical in the southern United States and almost all of us are related here, however, when you get into Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California, there is an increased chance that a one L Alday is from Mexico or other Hispanic origins.  Likewise, in England, an Alday with one L has a stronger chance of being of Spanish descent and a more recent migration. and an Allday is almost always of European descent.

Although there is no certainty as to the correct geographical location(s) where the Allday / Alday name first occurred, the following information was published in the Dictionary of American Family Names by Patrick Hanks (Editor), as published by Oxford University Press:

            “ALLDAY (204) 1. English:  from a Middle English personal name, Alday, which is either a survival of an unrecorded Old English personal name AEoeldaeg or from a cognate continental form, Aildag, imported to England from France by the Normans.  the ultimate etymology in both cases is Germanic adal ‘noble’ +  dag ‘day’.  2. Americanized form of German ALDAG.”

            “ALDAY (418) 1. Spanish form of Basque Aldai, a habituational name from any of several places in the Basque country called Alday or Aldai, from Basque Alde “side’, ‘slope’.  2. Americanized form of German ALDAG.  3.  English:  variant spelling of ALLDAY.”

            “ALDAZ (157) Castilianized form of Basque Aldatz, a habitational name from either of the two towns named with Aldatz in the Basque Country (Larraun- Aldatz and Itza-Aldatz), or possibly also from a variant of ALDAY, with genitive   -z.”

There is confirmed evidence that at least one original southern England Allday lines originated in Buckinghamshire, England.  The name originated in the 13th century through [sons and daughters of] Aldith.  The surname came from the children's mother instead of their father.  This slowly transitioned to Aldeth/Aldyth/Aldyff and then to Aldy/Aldey, Alday and finally Allday.  Most modern English Caucasian Alldays use two LLs and Hispanic, German and French still use the one L.

The Allday family of 15th and 16th century Kent, England were considered Gentry.  The Allday family of the 13th-17th century Buckinghamshire, England were considered yeoman.  London was a central base for both Buckinghamshire and Kent with members of the family going back and forth for centuries.  There were also various Alldays associated by trade or other means with the King(s) and Royal household.

            J.L. Allday – Book Publisher Birmingham & London.  I have one of his books.

            Jérôme Paul Bonaventure Alday – Began in Paris France as a violinist but moved to Dublin, Ireland and became the first composer of symphonies in the country.

            Mike Alday – lead singer & music writer of the Cardigans who had a top single American hit in the 50s named Your Graduation means Goodbye.  Mike was my 3rd cousin from my Great Great Grandfather James Madison “Jim” Alday.

            Captain James Alday –  Dartmouth, England. He was born in 1516 in England and was a 16th-century explorer, ship navigator, privateer and some would say “part time pirate” who claimed to have organized the earliest known voyage to the Barbary coast and was therefore the first proprietor of Barbary trade in    which many more would follow.  He was a Dartmouth skipper from southern England near the River Dart.  He would later join with Martin Frobisher in a 1576 voyage to search for the Northwest Passage and it was a very high risk voyage.  He risked his life and many believe he lost it as his name did not appear on the list of surviving mariners who returned.  He also could have died on another mission to Greenland on behalf of King Frederik II in 1579.  He is attributed as the likely author of the oldest German manual of navigation   which was published in Lubeck in 1578.

            John Alday – English translator of semi-philosophical and classical works during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England.  One of the chief works he’s know for as translating is a couple of French works entitled “Theatrum Mundi, the theatre or rule of the worlde.”  Joseph Ritson included John Alday among the English poets of the 16th century.  There were other works accredited to John Alday (also spelled John Allday) from that time period, included in libraries and museums around the world.  Some of his works were published in London, England, and to this day, there are still a number of Allday / Alday men in and around London.  My ancestor John Alday immigrated from London, England to Colonial Virginia in 1681.

            Santiago Manuel de Alday – One of the most important and influential Chilean Roman Catholic Bishops in Santiago, Chile of the 18th century.  Alday was born in 1712 in Conception, Chile and in old age, died in Santiago.  He was a bishop     for over 30 years and very outspoken on polemics and moral issues.  He traveled extensively and founded San Lazro (1775) and founded many parishes across Chile such as Copiapo and Cuyo and in more distant areas, Paredones (1765), Combarbala (1757), Pelarco (1787) and Renca (1764).  Alday also    organized a diocesan synod in 1763.  He is accredited for owning one of the largest libraries during the colonial era of Chile, having amassed over 2,000    volumes which are preserved in the Museum of Carmen de Maipu.

            Alday History: “18 May 1484 {King Edward IV, King Richard III, King Henry VII} “Westminster – Insperimus and confirmation to John Alday of letters patent dated 1 July & Edward IV, granting him for life 10 £. yearly.”

            Alday History: “[Dorset] c. 1415 {King Henry V} “Grant by John Alday, John Gosselyn, and Roger Douke, executors of the will of Henry Palmere, to John    Penne, or Portland, of a hedge in the town of Weymouth, in a street called ‘le Franchise street.’ Witnesses: – John Martin and John Crabbe, bailiffs of Weymouth, and others (named). Thursday after the Epiphany, 1 Henry V. Two seals.”

            Alday History: 26 July 1545 {King Henry VIII} “… Robert Alday, of Callaies [France], has made provision of wildfowl for the King’s [King Henry VIII] household which is stayed by his Lordship. Beg him to suffer Alday to transport into England such kinds of wildfowl as he provides, or else the furniture of the   Household will be disappointed.”

            Alday History: “27 Feb. 1484 {King Edward IV, King Richard III, King Henry VII} “Westminster – Grant during pleasure to the mayor and barons of Sandwich of 100 £ yearly from the customs and subsidies in the port of the town and ports and places adjacent, to be expended on the emendation of the walls and other fortifications of the town and the enlargement and emendation of the port and haven there by the survey and advice of John Alday, Nicholas Burton, John Crafford and William Salman.”

            Alday History:  “1483 & 1484 – John Alday (And John Burton) Surveyor, and it looks like either King Edward IV or King Richard (whichever one was in power in 1483/1484) Granted John Alday a salary for life.”

            Alday History:  1440 – Feb 8 & May 7 – Henry Alday Pardens by King Henry VI of England.  “Pardon to Henry Alday, late of Custhorp, co. Norfolk, “laborer,” of    his outlawry in the hustling of London, for not appearing before Henry Babyington and his fellows, late Justices of the Bench to satisfy the king of the   ransom due for a trespass against William Oldhall, knight, [etc…]

HISTORICAL ALLDAY – ALDAY BUSINESSES

            Alldays & Onions LTD – English manufacturer of early automobiles, trains, tractors etc.

            Hortan & Allday Silversmiths – Silversmiths founded in London, Birmingham & Sheffield, England by Alfred George Horton and Harry Allday.  Horton died in 1886 and the business was continued by Harry Allday by himself while keeping the original name Horton & Allday.  The company was in Birmingham, England.  It had various locations in Birmingham and later in London and was still operation in the 1920s.

            Alday family of Catalonia, Spain own wine orchards. A toast to all the Alday families of the world!! Santa Sadurní d’Anoia, Spain.

HISTORICAL ALLDAY – ALDAY EVENTS

            Alday Massacre of Georgia – Historical tragic event in Seminole County, Georgia, USA that occurred in 1973 that is considered the second largest mass murder in Georgia history (the largest occurred in 1887).  Six Aldays were brutally murdered by escaped convicts. President Jimmy Carter and hundreds of others attended their funeral.  A large stone monument was placed near the massacre location and more than five books, multiple podcasts, documentaries and the movie Murder One were inspired by the tragedy.

Allday surname = 1,387

Alday surname = 21,200 

Aldai surname = 3,280 

Aldy surname = 948 

Aldaye surname = 10 

Aldey surname = 8 

Frequency of Name

Allday surname

United States 758, England 475, Australia 49, Wales 25, New Zealand 8, South Africa 8, Scotland 8, Isle of Man 6, Singapore 4, Malasia 2, Spain 2, Russia 2, etc

Alday surname

Philippians 8902, Mexico 4769, United States 2483, Chile 1844, Argentina 1008, Spain 852, Saudi Arabia 477, Peru 221, Turkey 91, France 91, Guatamala 57, Singapore 47, Brazil 45, Russia 44, Canada 41, Ecuador 32, Australia 31, Uruguay 24, Sudan 16, Taiwan 15, Indonesia 15, Quatar 12, England 12, United Arab Emirates 9, Thailand 5, Switzerland 5, Sweden 4, Portugal 4, Egypt 4, Dominican Republic 4, Germany 3, Norway 3, Venezuela 3, Wales 3, Bulgaria 3, Ireland 2, Czechia 2, Austria 2, etc

Aldai surname

Sudan 3080, Spain 141, Chile 20, Mexico 15, United States 9, Egypt 4, Sweden 3, Brazil 2, Canada 1, England 1

Aldy surname

Indonesia 646, United States 251, Malaysia 10, Ukraine 6, Egypt 4, Kyrgyzstan 4, Sudan 4, Germany 3, Brazil 3, Niger 2

Aldaye surname 

Jordan 2, Sweden 2, United States 2, Argentina 1, Philippians 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Sudan 1

Aldey surname

United States 4, Argentina 1, Indonesia 1, Italy 1, Kyrgyzstan 1

Y-DNA

We heavily promote the Y-DNA testing at FamilyTreeDNA.com because we feel that Y-DNA is a very important part of connecting the international Allday - Alday family together.  It helps point towards the geographic location as to where the documentation will exist for proving various family paternal lines and it can reach out to other Allday - Alday males to the very beginning of surname usage.

The ‘Allday’ One Name Study has a DNA website hosted by FamilyTreeDNA. A link to that website is given at the top of this Profile Page. A small number of males with the Allday – Alday surname have had their Y chromosome DNA tested and their DNA test results are summarized at:

About the FamilyTreeDNA Y-DNA Project

Join the Allday Y-DNA Project OR purchase Y37 or Big Y 700 Y-DNA Test

Overy time, Y-DNA testing will hopefully conclude solid evidence origin of the Allday family as coming from one geographical place or multiple geographical places.  There is always the possibility and perhaps probability of non-paternal events throughout history which could occur over the last thousand years.  A non-paternal event (NPE) is defined as a split from the natural Y-DNA biological father due to adoption (whether official by the courts or simply an unregistered name change due to death of biological father and his children taking on the name of the new step-father), or infidelity or because of an out of wedlock conception resulting in the son carrying the surname of his single and unmarried mother (his mother’s father’s surname). But, Y-DNA testing can conclude which tribe each Allday man who takes the Y-DNA test belongs to.  For example, an English Allday with southern English roots took the test and matched the American Alldays with a common Allday ancestor walking around England around 600 years ago.  There were two other Alldays in England that also took the test and although all three English Allday men share the same R-M269 haplogroup, only one matches the American Alldays.  More Allday men are needed to prove with certainty which line is the oldest line.

Please, if you are remotely interested in your historic Allday lineage and curious about the Y-DNA, please contact me and ask me for more information about the Y-DNA test taking process.

Autosomal DNA

Although Y-DNA is the best for the Allday - Alday surname research since it goes way back in time, we also use autosomal DNA for determining close relationships up to usually only around 200 or less years ago.   Autosomal DNA is not as predictable or reliable after the fourth and fifth generation and usually falls off at some point between the fifth and eighth generation.  Regardless, it is still a great tool, particularly when documentation exists to prove the line.