Contents [hide]

Tyrell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Tyrell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture once found in Britain is the soil from which the many generations of the Tyrell family have grown. The name Tyrell was given to a member of the family who was a stubborn or obstinate person. The surname Tyrell is derived from the Old French word tirer, which means to draw. This is used in the same sense as the word tirand, which means "one who pulls on the reins;" thus it may be that it was used as a nickname for a stubborn person, before coming to be used as a hereditary surname.

Early Origins of the Tyrell family

The surname Tyrell was first found in Essex where one of the first records of the name is Walter Tirel III, (1065-c. 1100), Castellan of Pontoise and Lord of Poix, son of Walter Tirell II. 1

He is remembered for his involvement in the death of King William II (William Rufus) on a hunting trip in the New Forest on August 2nd, 1100. Some say it was an accident when Walter shot an arrow at a stag which glanced from the beast and struck King William II, while others disagree. 2

However, accordingly to chroniclers of the time, they parted at the beginning of the hunt on good terms, but the king was later found with one of the arrows given to Walter by the king in his chest. There is a stone in the Forest at Stoney Cross marking the spot where the King fell. 3

Walter's grandson Hugh Tyrrel (died 1199) took part in the Norman Conquest of Ireland where he became the first Baron of Castleknock and later took part in the Third Crusade.

Another distinct branch of the family was found at Gipping in Suffolk. "This place, which takes its name from the small river Gipping, is the property of C. Tyrell, Esq., whose ancestor, Sir Walter Tyrell, Knt., held the lordship at the time of the Domesday survey." 4

Early History of the Tyrell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tyrell research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1370, 1412, 1423, 1450, 1502, 1597, 1617, 1623, 1642, 1643, 1661, 1676, 1701 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Tyrell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tyrell Spelling Variations

Sound 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 Tyrell family name include Tyrell, Terrell, Terrill, Tyrill, Turrell, Tirell, Tyrrell and many more.

Early Notables of the Tyrell family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Sir Peter Tyrell
Sir John Tyrell (1597-1676), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1676

Tyrell Ranking

In the United States, the name Tyrell is the 11,614^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Tyrell family to Ireland

Some of the Tyrell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tyrell migration to the United States +

For 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 Tyrell surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Tyrell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Tyrell, who arrived in America in 1743
Elizabeth Tyrell, a bonded passenger, who arrived in Maryland in 1759

Tyrell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Tyrell who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1840
Charles Tyrell, who was naturalized in Philadelphia in 1840
James Tyrell, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1856 6
Bridget Tyrell, who arrived in New York in 1865

Tyrell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tyrell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Margaret Tyrell, aged 28, a servant, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Hibernia" from Kinsale, Ireland
Sally Tyrell, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Hibernia" from Kinsale, Ireland
Margaret Tyrell, aged 5, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Hibernia" from Kinsale, Ireland

Tyrell migration to Australia +

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

Tyrell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Patrick Tyrell, Irish farm servant who was convicted in County Meath, Ireland for 7 years for assault, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 5th November 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Richard Tyrell, (b. 1799), aged 32, Irish soldier from County Meath who was convicted in Bengal, India for life for striking a superior officer, transported aboard the "Caroline" on 31st July 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
S. Tyrell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Royal Admiral" in 1838 9
Mr. Richard Tyrell, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

Tyrell 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:

Tyrell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Tyrell, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 10

Tyrell migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 11

Tyrell Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

John Tyrell, who arrived in Jamaica in 1770 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Tyrell (post 1700) +

Michael Tyrell (b. 1974), American poet, editor, actor, and writing teacher
David Tyrell (1913-1999), American stage and film actor
W. C. Tyrell, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1924 12
Joseph P. Tyrell, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1964 12
John J. Tyrell (1901-1986), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Plattsburgh, New York, 1946-48, 1950-66 12
Dell L. Tyrell (d. 1965), American politician, Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, 1963 12
Tyrell Eugene "Ty" Timpson (b. 1986), American professional basketball player
Tyrell Cuffy (b. 1988), Trinidadian-born, Caymanian sprinter
Tyrell Biggs (b. 1960), American former heavyweight boxer
Tyrell Krum, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Virginia 8th District, 1950 13

Historic Events for the Tyrell family +

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. Henry Tyrell (b. 1844), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 14
Mr. William H. Tyrell (b. 1863), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 14
Mr. Samuel Tyrell (b. 1865), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 14
Mr. William Tyrell (b. 1860), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 14

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caroline
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ROYAL ADMIRAL 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838RoyalAdmiral.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm