Ralls History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Ralls surname is a patronymic from a medieval form of the personal name Ralph.

Early Origins of the Ralls family

The surname Ralls was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Kennet and Trevil in St.Juliet. "The manor called Tresparvet [in the parish of St. Ives] belongs to William Rawle, Esq. in whose family it has been vested for many generations. The manor of Tremorvill or Tremorill, which belonged to the Bottreaux family so early as the reign of Edward I. is the property of Mr. Rawle." 1

Early History of the Ralls family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ralls research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1632, 1658, 1660, 1683, 1686 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Ralls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ralls Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Rawle, Rawles, Rorles, Ralls, Rall and others.

Early Notables of the Ralls family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Francis Rawle (1660-1727), Cornish colonist, born in England, son of Francis Rawle, and came of an old Cornish family of some wealth and standing, settled at one time near St. Juliot, and later in the neighbourhood of Plymouth. "Both father and son were Quakers, and were persecuted...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ralls Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ralls Ranking

In the United States, the name Ralls is the 11,165^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Ralls migration to Australia +

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

Ralls Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Ralls, English convict from Dorset, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 3
Thomas Ralls, English convict from Dorset, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ralls (post 1700) +

William Reid Ralls (b. 1938), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Governor of Michigan, 1978; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1984 4
Tom Ralls, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1916 4
John Perkins Ralls (1812-1904), American politician, Representative from Alabama in the Confederate Congress 3rd District, 1862-64; Defeated, 1863; Member of Alabama State Legislature, 1878 4
William Ralls Morrison (1824-1909), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives, 1854-60, 1870-71; Speaker of the Illinois State House of Representatives, 1859-60 5

Citations +

Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html