Surnames: Home Messages Links Family Trees Researchers Biles Surname Club Find a Club: Messages

Mr. Bryant and Joanne,

My name is Christopher Biles and I am the youngest son of Bryan Biles, the author of the book Mr. Bryant mentioned.

As you say, the Biles name is pictish; and although I have not read my father's book in some time (ashamedly), it is my understanding that the "Pics" were a people in the southern region of England. As my father would attest, and I am sure you already know, when one traces ancestry back, they discover that stories become varied and some may be rather suspect as one travels back past a certain period of time. However, the more reliable story on the origination of the name Biles was that a priest from England discovered our family in Ireland, as a "tribe of wild Irishmen" and Christianized us. During his interaction with us, the priest discovered many twins among our brood. So, he gave us the name "Bies", meaning multiple births, as one would easily surmise. Through the ages, "Bies" evolved into two spellings; "Byles" and "Biles". Though there are two spellings of the name, there is but one lineage; so, we are (allbeit distantly at times) all related. The "Byles" spelling is much rarer and in the U.S., is seen almost exclusively in the eastern states. As a matter of fact, that reminds me - if you are ever in Boston and visit the Old North Church, you will see a plaque on the wall in the sanctuary that states that Mather Byles was the rector of the church during the Revolutionary War. Mather is/was an ancestor of the Byles/Biles family. By the way, the story is that Mather was a Tory.

My GenCircles

About GenCircles   The GenCircles Promise   Privacy Policy   Link To Us