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I'm indebtited to Donald Yale for this potted history of the Yale surname ... The family of YALE may have originated with a Florentine Noble Man who came to Britain in 1057 being the first of the line,and who seems to have settled in the Harlech area of North Wales The family name changes on marriage several times and eventually to Vaughan with a residence at Cors y Gedol near Harlech. The family appears to be an important one, being significantly involved in the politics of the time. Around 1480, another descendent, Ellis Ap Griffith, married Margaret Bodris an heiress who owned a mansion called Plas- Yn- Ial. This is situated on the A5104 road From Wrexham to Ruthin close to Liandegla.( best route over the horseshoe pass from llangollen). Ial (Yale) is the welsh for a fertile spot, and Plas yn Ial means "the manor house in Yale". Thus we first see our name as a place name. Some time in the 16th century the family living in the Manor house, unusually for Wales, adopted "Yale" as the family name. Dr Thomas Yale who died in 1557 was the first to definitely assume the name Yale. He was Archbishop of Canterbury. Another branch of the family lived at Plas Grono, Wrexham ( part of the Errdig hall estate now) and two nephews - Thomas at Plas Grono and David at Plas Yn Yale - continued the Yale line. They both had many children, many of whom moved to the county of Shropshire. Thomas Yale married Anne LLoyd daughter of the Bishop of Chester in 1613 . The Bishop LLoyds house is still to be seen in Chester. Wrexham lays claim to Elihu Yale who helped by a grant to establish Yale University. The Americans seem to see him as "one of theirs". True, he was born over there but returned to Wales at three years of age never to return.