Contents [hide]

Worrall History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Worrall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Worrall first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Worral, a place in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 2 The place-name Worral is composed of the Old English elements wir, which means "myrtle" and halh, which means "nook or corner of land." The place-name translates as "nook of land where bog-myrtle grows." 3

Alternatively the name could have originated at Wirral, in Cheshire. 4

Early Origins of the Worrall family

The surname Worrall was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire, at Worrall, a small rural village and parish which dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Wihale, part of the lands held by Roger de Busli. By 1218, some records show the village's name as Wirhal. 3 Today it is within the boundaries of the City of Sheffield and has a population of about 1,306 as of 2006. At one time, Knotty-Ash House in Lancashire was the property of the Worrall family. 5

One of the first records of the family was Roger de Wyrhal, who was listed in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219. Records in Sheffield, South Yorkshire list Richard de Wyrall in 1351 and William Worrall in 1517. 6

Early History of the Worrall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Worrall research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1388, 1586, 1590, 1614, 1630, 1664, 1705 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Worrall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Worrall Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Worrall has appeared include Worrall, Worral, Worrell, Worrel, Worrill, Worril and others.

Early Notables of the Worrall family

Distinguished members of the family include

James Worrall...

Worrall Ranking

In the United States, the name Worrall is the 12,286^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Worrall is ranked the 974^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,149 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Worrall family to Ireland

Some of the Worrall family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Worrall migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Worrall arrived in North America very early:

Worrall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Worrall, who landed in New England in 1638 9
William Worrall, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 9
Richard Worrall, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 9
John Worrall, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 9
Martha Worrall, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1682 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Worrall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ottowell Worrall, who arrived in America in 1804 9
Robert Worrall, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 9
Samuel Worrall, who landed in Arkansas in 1898 9

Worrall migration to Australia +

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

Worrall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Worrall, British Convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he was executed in 1827 10
Mr. James Worrall, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Thomas Worrall, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 12
William Worrall, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. James Worrall, English convict who was convicted in Salford, Greater Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Worrall 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:

Worrall Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Worrall, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Clarence" in 1875

Worrall 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. 15

Worrall Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William Worrall, who arrived in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
Mr. William Worrall, (b. 1612), aged 23, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 16

Contemporary Notables of the name Worrall (post 1700) +

Mr. Thomas Worrall, English coal mine underlooker working in Clifton coal mine in Manchester on 18th June 1885, he was awarded the Albert Medal for lifesaving
Simon Worrall (b. 1984), English rugby league player
Mike Worrall (b. 1942), English-born, Australian artist and designer
Joe Worrall (b. 1945), former English association football referee
Harry Worrall (1918-1979), English association football player
George Worrall (1855-1930), English association football player
Frank Worrall (b. 1961), English journalist and author
David Worrall (b. 1990), English association football player
Mark Worrall (b. 1961), British author
Madeleine Worrall (b. 1977), Scottish actress
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Worrall family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Herbert Horace Worrall (1894-1914), English Third Class Passenger from Sheffield, England, United Kingdom who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 17

HMS Hood

Mr. Arthur Worrall (b. 1920), English Stoker 2nd Class serving for the Royal Navy from Darlington, County Durham, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm