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Noel History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Noel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Of all the French names to come from Normandy, Noel is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived at Noailles, in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Noel family

The surname Noel was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where they held a family seat at Noailles, and the scion of the family was Robert Noel. This knight, Robert Noel, accompanied William, Duke of Normandy, in his conquest of England in 1066 and was granted many lands, including those of Ellenhall, Wiverstone, Podmore and Milnese. Robert, Lord of Ellenhall became Lord of Gainsborough which was granted to him by King Henry I, King of both England and Normandy.

Early History of the Noel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Noel research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1573, 1755, 1806, 1826 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Noel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Noel Spelling Variations

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Noel, including Noell, Noelle, Noel, Noël, Noailles, Noe, Noue, de Noel and many more.

Early Notables of the Noel family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Noel of Normandy

Noel World Ranking

In the United States, the name Noel is the 999^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Noel is ranked the 283^rd most popular surname with an estimated 15,224 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Noel is the 161^st popular surname. 3 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Noel as 163^rd with 240 people. 4 France ranks Noel as 64^th with 36,295 people. 5

Noel migration to the United States +

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Noel were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Noel were

Noel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Stephen Noel, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 6
Joseph Noel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 6
Peter Noel and Joseph Noel, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1736
Enas Noel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 6
Eneas Noel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Noel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Rosalie Noel, who landed in New York in 1812 6
Charlotte Noel and her husband, who arrived in New York in 1821
Mr. Noel, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 6
Alphonse Noel, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1835 6
Nicholas Noel, who arrived in New York, NY in 1836 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Noel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Noel Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Charles Noël, (b. 1617), aged 25 French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 12th April 1642 7
Jean Noel, who arrived in Quebec in 1649
Jean Noel, son of Jean and Marie, who married Suzanne Barbot, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Quebec on 2nd November 1649 8
Jacques Noel, who arrived in Montreal in 1653
François Noel who arrived in Quebec in 1657 from Poitou
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Noel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Noel, son of François and Nicole, who married Louise Gosselin, daughter of Michel and Marie-Michelle, in Saint-Pierre-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Quebec on 5th November 1703 8
Ignace Noel, son of François and Nicole, who married Marie-Anne Huard, daughter of Jean and Anne-Marie, in Saint-Laurent-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Quebec on 7th November 1707 8
Michel Noel, son of François and Nicole, who married Marguerite Garaut, daughter of Pierre and Barbe, in Saint-Pierre-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Quebec on 22nd February 1713 8
Pierre Noel, son of Michel and Marie, who married Marguerite Dubois, daughter of René and Anne, in Montreal, Quebec on 23rd August 1729 8
Joseph Noel, son of Maurice and Catherine, who married Marie-Anne Lauzon, daughter of Gilles and Anne, in Rivières-des-Prairies, Quebec on 15th February 1734 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Noel (post 1700) +

Richard "Dick" Noel (1926-1927), American band vocalist, jingle singer, and radio and television performer
Phillip Noel (b. 1931), American politician, Governor of Rhode Island (1973-1977)
Edmond Favor Noel (1856-1927), American politician, governor of Mississippi (1908-1912)
J. C. Noel, American Republican politician, Member of Virginia State Senate 2nd District, 1904-11; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1916 9
Forest T. Noel, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Audrain County Democratic Party, 1967 9
Edmund Favor Noel (1856-1927), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Mississippi State House of Representatives, 1881-82; Member of Mississippi State Senate, 1895-1903, 1920-27 9
Earl B. Noel, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Moberly, Missouri, 1955-57 9
Cleo Allen Noel Jr. (1918-1973), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Sudan, 1972-73 9
Charles P. Noel, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 1st District, 1854-55 9
C. R. Noel, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 1928 9
... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Noel family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. L Noel, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 10

SS Southern Cross

Mr. Norman Noel (1892-1914), Newfoundlander from Harbour Grace who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
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)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 2, Institut Drouin, 1958.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html