Contents [hide]

Kettle History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Kettle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The ancient Viking-Scottish name Kettle is derived from the old Norse personal name of Ketill or from the old Danish personal name of Ketil. 1 2

"The personal name Chetell occurred in the Domesday Book of 1086." 3 4

Early Origins of the Kettle family

The surname Kettle was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland.

"'Kettles were weavers at Muthill, Perthshire, and gun-makers at Doune in the same county' in the eighteenth century. The name of the gun-makers is spelled Kettell and Caddell, and they were probably relations of the Kettells, weavers in Muthill. Ketell de Perth was burgess there in the reign of Alexander II. James filius Ketel witnessed a composition between the Priory of May and Duncan de Inchesireth (now Inchyra), c. 1250." 1

Further to the south in England, one of the first records of the family was William Ketel (fl. 1100), a medieval English writer and clergyman. Little is known of him other than he wrote a work containing miraculous stories about Saint John of Beverley. He is presumed to have been clerk of Beverley Minster at that time.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included entries for the family as both a forename and surname: Emma filius Ketel, Cambridgeshire; Kettle le Mercer, Cambridgeshire; and Reyner Ketel, Norfolk. 5

The Feet of Fines for Essex listed Adam Keterch(e) in 1317 and the same rolls included Roger Keterch(e) at Colchester in 1379. 2

Early History of the Kettle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kettle research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1513, 1524, 1576, 1583, 1612, 1676, 1689 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Kettle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kettle Spelling Variations

The spellings of Scottish names dating from the medieval era often bear little resemblance to those seen today. They vary enormously because scribes in that time spelled according to their ears. Some spelling variations of the name Kettle include Kettle, Ketley, Kettles, Ketill and others.

Early Notables of the Kettle family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Gelis Kettill who appears in parish of Nesting, Shetland, 1576, and James Kettle in Noorhead of Cultmalindie, 16891...

Kettle Ranking

In the United States, the name Kettle is the 18,158^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Kettle is ranked the 632^nd most popular surname with an estimated 71 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Kettle family to Ireland

Some of the Kettle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kettle migration to the United States +

The farms of Scottish settlers soon dotted the east coast of the colonies that would become the nations of the United States and Canada. Many of those migrants and their children went on to play important roles in the founding the great nations of North America. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Scottish name Kettle or a variant listed above, including:

Kettle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Kettle, who arrived in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1635 8
Edith Kettle, who settled in Nevis in 1653 along with William
Hugh Kettle, who landed in Virginia in 1666 8
Ralph Kettle, who settled in Virginia in 1698

Kettle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Wennell Kettle, aged 43, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 8
Peter Kettle, aged 10, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 8
Margarita, Sarah and Wennell Kettle, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1733
Christina Kettle, aged 13, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 8
Johanna Margaretha Kettle, aged 4, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kettle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

N G Kettle, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 8

Kettle migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kettle Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Kettle, aged 20 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Free Trader" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle on 20th August 1847 9

Kettle migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Kettle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Kettle, British Convict who was convicted in Ely (Isle of Ely), Cambridgeshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. James Kettle, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. James Kettle, (b. 1802), aged 13, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. John Kettle, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Caledonia" in 19th June 1822, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Mr. Elias Kettle, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kettle 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:

Kettle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Henry Kettle, aged 18, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Oriental" in 1840
Mr. Charles Henry Kettle, (b. 1821), aged 18, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 15
C H Kettle, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1849
Mr. Kettle, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Maori" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand via Nelson and Wellington on 1st March 1852 16

Contemporary Notables of the name Kettle (post 1700) +

John Kettle, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1932 17
Arthur W. Kettle, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Chautauqua County 1st District, 1900 17
Sir Rupert Alfred Kettle (1817-1894), English county court judge
Arthur Henry "Digger" Kettle (1922-1999), English footballer
Stephen Kettle (b. 1966), British sculptor
Andrew J Kettle (1833-1916), Irish nationalist politician, progressive farmer, agrarian agitator and founder member of the Irish Land League
Elizabeth Kettle, English character actress
Tilly Kettle (1735-1786), portrait painter and the first English painter to work in India
Brian Kettle (b. 1956), English former footballer
Charles Henry Kettle (1821-1862), English who surveyed the city of Dunedin in New Zealand
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Kettle family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Edward James Kettle (1911-1941), Australian Able Seaman from Villawood, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 18

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Frederick Lawrence Kettle, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 19

SS Caribou

Miss Myrtle Kettle, British passenger from Grand Bay, Newfoundland, was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, she died in the sinking

The Kettle 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: Bono vince malum
Motto Translation: Overcome evil with good.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 38)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-portland
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html