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ECKERSLEY (Eccersley, Eccles, Eccleston(e), Eckershall, Eckersall, Eckersail, Eccersal and many other variations):
The list of surnames is not final and are based mainly on the distinctive "Eck" sound which occurs at the start of them. 

 So if you have a surname which starts with "Eck" or "Ecc" don't be put off if it doesn't appear in one of the lists on this site - you are more than welcome to join! 

Much of the following relates to "Eckersley"  This group of surnames seems particularly associated with the English counties of Lancashire, Cheshire and the West

Riding of Yorkshire, areas where they can still be found in large numbers today.
However the Eccles and Eckles surnames seem to have a far greater original distribution - probably because Eccles is derived from "Ecclesia", 

the Latin word for church" and so would have been likely to originate or occur in many different areas. Although not a very frequently found surname 

in comparison to more popular ones it can now be seen in many countries today including the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and many others.

What do the Surname Experts Say? "A Dictionary of English Surnames" - P.H. Reaney & R.M. Wilson
From a lost place name in Lancashire (source E. Ekwall, "The Place Names of Lancashire, Manchester 1922")

Henry de Ecclesleye 1301, Yorkshire (source, Placita de Quo Warranto, London 1818).

Jane Eckersley 1603, Lancashire (source, C.W. Bardsley "A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, London 1901)
Other sources indicate that this lost place would have been "Eckersley Fold" close to Tyldesley near Manchester, England.
From Eccles in Kent, Lancashire, Norfolk, Berwick and Dumfries.Adam , Warin de Eccles c1170 Scotland?[presumably Scotland because GF Black

is stated as the source but no detail is given]
Adam , Warin de Eccles 1212 Kent (source Curia Regis Rolls)
Peter Ekeles 1378 London (source Assize Rolls,London Records Society 1965-76)
From Eccleston, Cheshire & LancashireGeoffrey de Eckleston' 1230, Nottinghamshire (source, Pipe Rolls: Record Commission, 3 vols, London 1833-44)
Robert de Eccleston 1385, (source, Calendar of Inquisitiones post mortem (in progress)Lancashire, Chetham Society, 95, 1875)
Anthony Eccleston 1537 Essex (source, Feet of Fines, Essex Archaeological Society 4 vols 1899-1964)
From Ecclesall (West Riding of Yorkshire), Eccleshall (Staffordshire), Eccleshill (Lancashire and West Riding of Yorkshire)

William de Eccleshull 1246 Lancashire (source, Lancashire Assize Rolls,Lancashire & Cheshire Record Society 1904 & 1905)
Robert de Eccleshale 1251 Yorkshire (source, Yorkshire assize Rolls, Yorkshire Archaeological Society 1911 & 1939 and the Selden Society 1937)
Robert de Ekilsale 1297 Yorkshire (source, Yorkshire Subsidy Rolls, Thorsby Society 1891 and Yorkshire Archaeological Society 1894, 1897 & 1929)

Where do your paternal roots come from? From what branch of your surname are you descended? DNA may be able to help solve the mystery. 

  Do you know any stories or legends associated with this surname group?

We would love to hear from you, especially if you can provide a source for the information.

Were the Eckersleys Flemish Weavers? There are certain mysteries surrounding the Eckersleys. One story says that they were meant to be descended from Flemish weavers who moved to Lancashire in the Middle Ages. Apparently three groups of families moved at one time - the Eckersleys, the Seddons and an unknown family. However, to date none of this has been confirmed.

Are We Descended from The Welsh Princes or Norman Nobility?
Another Eckersley myth tells of a Norman knight marrying a Welsh Princess. But again no details about this family myth seems forthcoming. 

Similarly, another story relates that in the 1500s an Elizabeth Eckersley married a Welshman who was supposedly descended from the Welsh Princes. 

Is this merely wishful thinking??? Manchester, like Liverpool, certainly has a long association with Wales, through it's people via trade and migration, 

but it has also had similar links with Scotland and Ireland not to mention the rest of northern England. However, the myth of the Eckersley's Worcestershire origin

may possibly still link them to Wales since the county next to Worcestershire is Herefordshire which was part of Wales up until Henry VIII introduced the Act of Union

between England & Wales which also transferred Herefordshire to England.

What Are the Family Stories Surrounding the Eccles, Eccleston(e), Eckersall and the other surname members of this surname group?
Do you have any information to share?

Eckersley and Variants Originate in England
All the names in the group seem to have a definite Germanic sound which is accentuated by the initial hard "Eck" they all share. This may be the case with Eckersley 

since one meaning given for this surname says it is derived from the old German name Eckhard, meaning "edge-hard" which is taken to refer to the blade 

of a sword. From this they derive that the name means "sword bearer living on the edge of a valley or clearing".

What about Eckershall? The implication from the meaning of Eckersley above indicates that Eckershall means "One who lived or served at Eckhard's hall". 

Was there a particular hall associated with a common ancestor for this surname in the West Riding of Yorkshire or in Lancashire? 

Further research and the use of DNA in genealogical research may be able to link together branches of the name indicating which people or locations to research. 

But as Eccles is believed to come from Latin not German, and since much confusion appears to have occurred over the centuries between the surnames in this group, 

the sound of our names may not always reflect their origins let alone those of the surname bearer.

DNA may hold the clues we need to unravel the questions regarding our ancestry, both in the distant past and also in much more recent times,