Contents [hide]

Conwell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Conwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Conwell family in Ireland was Mac Conmhaoil.

Early Origins of the Conwell family

The surname Conwell was first found in the county of Derry, where they held a family seat, some say, they were descended from the Cenel Eoghain, (Clan Owen) the great northern tribe who were descended from Eoghan, son of King Niall of the Nine Hostages, (who lived about 365 A.D.) progenitor of the O'Neills. This ancient and distinguished tribe settled in Tyrone and Derry.

Early History of the Conwell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conwell research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1620 and 1845 are included under the topic Early Conwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Conwell Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Conwell are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include McConville, McConvill, McConwell, McConwel, Conwell, Conville, Convill, Convilles, Conwells, MacConville, MacConvill, MacConwell and many more.

Early Notables of the Conwell family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

John Conwell of Ballymilligan in County Londonderry

Conwell Ranking

In the United States, the name Conwell is the 7,164^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Conwell migration to the United States +

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Conwell or a variant listed above:

Conwell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anthony Conwell, aged 26, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 2
Bernard Conwell, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 2
Catherine Conwell, aged 27, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 2
Anthony, Bernrd, Catherine, James, and Jeremiah Conwell, all, who settled in New York State in 1803
James Conwell, aged 28, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Conwell 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:

Conwell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Conwell, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878
Jane Conwell, aged 27, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878

Contemporary Notables of the name Conwell (post 1700) +

Leon Martin Conwell, American Journalist and politician
Edward James Conwell (1890-1926), American third baseman in Major League Baseball
Henry Conwell (1745-1842), American Roman Catholic clergyman
Ernest Harold Conwell (b. 1972), former American football tight end in the National Football League
Tommy Conwell, American guitarist, songwriter and performer
Angell Conwell (b. 1983), American actress and model
Russell Herman Conwell (1843-1925), American Baptist minister and lecturer, founder and first president of Temple University
Leagh Conwell (b. 1990), British actor, known for his roles in A Knight's Tale (2001) and Wondrous Oblivion (2003)
Anthony "Tony" Conwell (1932-2017), former English professional footballer who played from 1953 to 1964
Nula Conwell (b. 1959), British-born character actress

Historic Events for the Conwell family +

SS Alcoa Puritan

David M Conwell, American Third Mate from Norfolk, Virginia, who was working aboard the SS Alcoa Puritan (1942) traveling from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Mobile, Alabama when it was torpedoed by U-boat U-507; he survived the sinking 3

The Conwell Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Age in aeternum
Motto Translation: Do forever

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Alcoa_Puritan_(1941) - (Retrieved 2018, February 8th)