Show ContentsBonnell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Bonnell family

The surname Bonnell was first found in Languedoc, where the family held a family seat.

By the 12th century this ancient family was well established in the region of Rouergue and several members of this prominent family made a distinctive contribution to the community in which they lived and were rewarded with lands, titles and letters patent confirming their nobility.

Early History of the Bonnell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bonnell research. Another 493 words (35 lines of text) covering the years 1112, 1199, 1206, 1250, 1278, 1335, 1397, 1400, 1498, 1505, 1660, 1698, 1754, 1823, 1824 and 1840 are included under the topic Early Bonnell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonnell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: de Bonal, de Bonald, DuBonal, de Bonnal, Du Bonnal, du Bonnald, du Bonail, du Bonaild, du Bonailde, du Bonaile, du Bonnaile, du Bonnail, du Bonnaild, du Bonnailde, du Bonald, du Bonall, du Bonnall, du Bonale, Bonales, Bonell, Bonnell, Bonel, de Bonnald, de Bonail, de Bonaild, de Bonailde, de Bonaile, de Bonnaile, de Bonnail, de Bonnaild, de Bonnailde, de Bonall, de Bonnall, de Bonale, de Bonales, de Bonell, de Bonnell and many more.

Early Notables of the Bonnell family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bonnell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bonnell Ranking

In the United States, the name Bonnell is the 7,429th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Bonnell is ranked the 462nd most popular surname with an estimated 102 people with that name. 2


United States Bonnell migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bonnell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Bonnell, aged 32, who arrived in New York in 1841 3

Canada Bonnell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bonnell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Benjamin Bonnell U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 4
  • Mr. Isaac Bonnell U.E. born in New York, USA who settled in Digby, Nova Scotia c. 1783 4

New Zealand Bonnell migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bonnell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Juliana Bonnell, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Bonnell (post 1700) +

  • Joseph Bonnell (1802-1840), U.S Army Officer and Republic of Texas Officer, member of The Long Gray Line
  • Marion Wright "Bonnie" Bonnell (1905-1964), American Vaudeville performer who played a "straight woman" with the Three Stooges
  • Barry Bonnell (b. 1953), American former Major League Baseball outfielder and third baseman
  • Bruno Bonnell (b. 1958), French businessman and politician who represented the 6th constituency of Rhône in the National Assembly from 2017 to 2022, co-founder of Infogrames Entertainment SA
  • Yolanda Bonnell, Canadian actress and playwright, best known for her play Bug, a Governor General's Award nominee in 2020
  • Megan Bonnell, Canadian folk musician, born in Caledon, Ontario
  • Maxwell Thomas Bennett "Max" Bonnell (b. 1962), Australian lawyer and cricket historian
  • Sadie Bonnell MM (1888-1993), British ambulance driver in Word War I, first woman to win the Military Medal
  • Mark Lorne Bonnell (1923-2006), Canadian physician, provincial politician, and senator from Prince Edward Island
  • Bonnell Thornton (1725-1768), English poet, essayist, and critic, son of John Thornton, apothecary, of Maiden Lane, and afterwards of Chandos Street, Westminster

RMS Titanic
  • Miss Caroline Bonnell, aged 30, American First Class passenger from Youngstown, Ohio who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 8 5
  • Miss Elizabeth Bonnell, aged 61, American First Class passenger from Youngstown, Ohio who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 8 5


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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