| ![Show Contents]() Ransdell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Ransdell came from the baptismal name Randel. In this case the surname Ransdell was a diminutive of the personal name Rand, a short form of various German names with the first element rand meaning shield or wolf. 1 Alternatively, the name was derived from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of Randolph,' from the nickname Randle. As such, the earliest records of the family were as a forename as in Randle de Arclet, Cheshire, temp. 1290. 2 Early Origins of the Ransdell familyThe surname Ransdell was first found in the parish of Ladock in Cornwall. "Hay, which was formerly deemed a genteel residence, was successively a seat of the families of Randyll, Tregain, and Bone." 3 Early History of the Ransdell familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ransdell research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1436, 1570, 1581, 1587, 1592, 1598, 1622, 1758, 1781, 1799, 1815, 1822 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Ransdell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Ransdell Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Ransdell family name include Randall, Rendle, Randal, Rendel, Rendell and others. Early Notables of the Ransdell familyNotables of the family at this time include John Randall (1570-1622), English divine, born at Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire who was sent at the early age of eleven to St. Mary Hall, Oxford, where he matriculated on 27 Nov. 1581. He was elected a fellow of Lincoln College on 6 July 1587. "On the occasion of Queen Elizabeth's visit to Oxford, in August 1592, Randall was appointed to 'frame and oversee the stage for the academical performance given' in her honour." 4 William Randall (fl. 1598) was an English musician and is included by Meres in his list of England's 'excellente musitians.'John...
Another 187 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ransdell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Ransdell RankingIn the United States, the name Ransdell is the 9,782nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5  Migration of the Ransdell family to Ireland
Some of the Ransdell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Ransdell familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Ransdell surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Philip Randall, his wife and their three children, who arrived in Dorchester, MA in 1633; John Randall, who arrived in Virginia in 1635; Phillip and Robert Randall, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1639.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Ransdell (post 1700) | + |
- Sanford Ransdell (1781-1854), American pioneer and soldier in the Battle of Tippecanoe
- Joseph Morton Ransdell (1931-2010), American professor of philosophy from 1974 to 2000 at Texas Tech University
- Joseph E. Ransdell (1858-1954), American politician, U.S. Senator from Louisiana (1913-1931), author of the Ransdell Act creating the National Institutes of Health; brother of Francis Xavier Ransdell
- Francis Xavier Ransdell (1861-1939), American lawyer and jurist, Judge of the Louisiana 6th Judicial District (1900-1936)
- Joseph Eugene Ransdell (1858-1954), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Louisiana 5th District, 1899-1913; U.S. Senator from Louisiana, 1913-31 6
- Frank E. Ransdell, American politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives from Cedar County, 1901-02 6
- Frank Ransdell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1916 6
- C. P. Ransdell, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1856 6
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: Nil extra numerum
Motto Translation: Nothing out of time.
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. 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)
- Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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England
Ireland
