This interesting and rare name is of Flanders and possibly Huguenots origin, where it is recorded heraldically in Riestapps Amourial General for what is now part of Belgium but was originally the Spanish Netherlands, and an area of successive wars. Originally successive English Medieval King encouraged the Flemish weaves to emigrate to the United Kingdom, however this name is much later and not recorded before the 17th century. We believe the name to be a medieval job descriptive for a Town Cryer or similar from the Olde French 'Hele' and probably 'The Son of Hele'. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Helias d'Huddegheim which was dated Circa 1680, The Province State of Flanders during the reign of King Louis XIV of France, 1643 - 1715 Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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