The name d'Estelle is recorded in Provence, France, in 1525. Provence is in the extreme southeastern part of France on the shore of the Mediterranean, near Marseilles. Many of the d'Estelles lived in Marseilles, and the street Rue Estelle is named for them.

Earlier, the family name was spelled Esdaile (pronounced Estill). This was the spelling used by Sir James Esdaile who was Lord Mayor of London in 1778. He was a descendant of the French family and he used the same arms. Genealogists assert that the family name was once Estrella, the Spanish word for "star," which led to the family motto "The Stars are Friendly."

Jean Andre d'Estelle, a nobleman and commissary of artillery, and Jeanette Pastier, a noble woman, were married in Provence, France, on December 12, 1525. The couple and other members of their family were protestants, later called Hugeonots.

After the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572, Balthazar d'Estelle, a descendant of Jean Andre and Jeanette d'Estelle, moved with his family to the Netherlands and changed their name ot Estill to avoid religious persecution. There is a record at Stuys in Zeeland in 1625 of Balthazar D'Estelle at a baptism as a godfather. They were Huguenots. Various divisions of the family took similar names, such as Estel, Estal, Estelle, and Estell, but they are all one and the same French family of d'Estelle.

From the Netherlands, they moved to England and retained the same name. The Estills moved from England to New Jersey in 1664. The names of the men were William, Daniel, and Thomas. Later, the families moved to Virginia and then to Estill and Madison Counties in Kentucky.

The Latin phrase on the Estill coat of arms, "Sidas Adsit Amicum", means "The Stars are Friendly."

[Note to myself: (Jeffrey Hamilton - jeffh@pistos.com) Knowing that the three brothers were born in England, where William, the eldest, was also married and Daniel and Thomas were married after arriving in America in 1664, I searched and found records of a William and Thomas Estall born to Henry and and Ursuly Estall (also spelled Estill). The ages are right for the two brothers. No other William, Daniel, or Thomas matches so well. So I am guessing that Henry is the missing father.]

[From the History of Alleghenny County of Virginia by O.F. Morton] The Estills descend from Belthazer Estill, born 1572, who fled to Holland. His family then went to England and eventually America.