| ![Show Contents]() Varnell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Varnell is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived by a fern-covered hill. The name is both a surname and a place-name, and is derived from the Old English elements fearn, for fern, and hyll, the word for hill. 1 Alternatively, another source notes that the surname denotes a "dweller at the Fern Slope or Corner [Old English fearn + heal(h)] for Farnhill." 2 Early Origins of the Varnell familyThe surname Varnell was first found in East Cheshire at Fernhill, or at Farnhill in West Riding of Yorkshire or at Farnell Wood in Kent. Some of the first records of the name include: Richard de Farenhull in 1214; William de Fernhulle in 1263 and Hugh de la Fernhull in 1275; John de Farnhull, listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273; and William atte Farnhulle in 1298. 1 In Scotland, the name was derived from "the lands of Famell in Angus. Between 1214 and 1246 Duncan de Ferneuel witnessed charters by Malcolm, earl of Angus, and a charter of land in the territory of Kerimor to Arbroath Abbey. Meg Fernwale is recorded in Aberdeen, 1408." 3 Early History of the Varnell familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Varnell research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1246 and 1379 are included under the topic Early Varnell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Varnell 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 Varnell family name include Farnell, Farnel, Farnall, Farnyll, Farnill and many more. Early Notables of the Varnell familyMore information is included under the topic Early Varnell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Varnell RankingIn the United States, the name Varnell is the 10,965th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4
 Varnell 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 Varnell surname or a spelling variation of the name include :
Varnell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- John Varnell, who landed in Virginia in 1657 5
Varnell Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Huey Varnell, aged 35, who settled in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1912
- Katherine Varnell, aged 13, who immigrated to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1912
- Lucy W. Varnell, aged 42, who settled in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1923
- Elizabeth Varnell, aged 21, who immigrated to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1923
| Contemporary Notables of the name Varnell (post 1700) | + |
- George Marshall Varnell (1882-1967), American track and field athlete at the 1904 Summer Olympics
- James S. Varnell Jr., American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 17 aerial victories
- James Sully Varnell Jr., American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 17 aerial victories
- George H. Varnell, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Illinois Democratic State Committee, 1862-64 6
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- 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)
- "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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Varnell migration to the United States 
England
Scotland
