Show ContentsCarrell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Carrell has undergone many variations in the time that has passed since its genesis. In Gaelic it appeared as Cearbhaill, which is derived from the name of Cearbhal, the Lord of Ely who helped King Brian Boru lead the Irish to victory over the Danes at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. Donnchad Ua Cerbaill or Donnchadh Ó Cearbhaill was King of Airgíalla, fl. c. 1130-1168. Maol Ruanaidh Cam Ó Cearbhaill, sometimes Anglicized as Cam O'Kayrwill (died 10 June 1329) was a notable Irish harpist and player of the tiompan who was murdered with many others at the Braganstown Massacre.

Early Origins of the Carrell family

The surname Carrell was first found in counties Tipperary, Offaly, Monaghan and Louth. Through their connection with Cearbal, they descend from King Oilioll Olum.

There were six distinct O'Carroll septs prior to the Anglo-Norman Conquest. While four disintegrated before the end of the 13th century, the two most important septs continued. These were O'Carroll of Ely O'Carroll, from the counties of Tipperary and Offaly, and O'Carroll of Oriel, from the counties of Monagan and Louth.

While the Oriel O'Carrolls disappeared as an official sept resulting from the Anglo-Norman Conquest, the members of that sept were not scattered, but remained mainly within their ancient territories. However, the O'Carrolls of Ely O'Carroll managed to maintain their independence and heritage until the end of the 16th century, and continued to play an important role in Irish history.

They formerly held large territories in the county of Tipperary, but were confined to the area around Birr in the county of Offaly by the rise of the powerful Norman Butlers.

Early History of the Carrell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carrell research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1014, 1172, 1451, 1600, 1602, 1625, 1661, 1673, 1711, 1720, 1735, 1737, 1789, 1792, 1815, 1832 and 1916 are included under the topic Early Carrell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carrell Spelling Variations

Many variations of the name Carrell were found in archives from the Middle Ages. The spelling and language in which the people's names were recorded was often up to the individual scribe. Variations of the name Carrell found include O'Carroll, Carroll, Carrel, Carrell, Carrill, Carrol, Carroll, Caryll, Garvil, Garvill and many more.

Early Notables of the Carrell family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was John Caryll (1625-1711), 1st Baron Caryll of Durford who came of an ancient Roman Catholic family, which had been settled, from the close of the sixteenth century, at West Harting in Sussex. [1]Charles Carroll (1661-1720), often called Charles Carroll the Settler, to differentiate him from his son and grandson, was a wealthy lawyer...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carrell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carrell Ranking

In the United States, the name Carrell is the 5,010th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [2]


United States Carrell migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name Carrell, or one of its variants:

Carrell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Carrell, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Merchant's Hope" [3]
  • John Carrell, who landed in Virginia in 1644 [3]
  • Richard Carrell, who arrived in Virginia in 1644 [3]
  • David Carrell, who landed in Virginia in 1653 [3]
  • William Carrell, who landed in Maryland in 1667 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Carrell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Carrell, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 [3]
  • Roger Carrell, who landed in Virginia in 1706 [3]
  • Hannah Carrell, who landed in Virginia in 1706 [3]
  • John Carrell, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1720 [3]
  • John Carrell who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Carrell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Carrell, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1832 [3]

Canada Carrell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Carrell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Charles Carrell U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on December 13, 1783 was passenger number 390 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York [4]

New Zealand Carrell 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:

Carrell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Sarah Carrell, (b. 1820), aged 36, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd July 1856 [5]
  • Mr. John Carrell, (b. 1821), aged 35, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd July 1856 [5]
  • Mr. John Carrell, (b. 1855), aged 1, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir Edward Paget" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd July 1856 [5]
  • Mrs. Doreas Mary Carrell, (b. 1836), aged 23, Irish settler from Dublin travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 [5]
  • Mr. Lewis Ayton Carrell, (b. 1836), aged 23, Irish labourer from Dublin travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Carrell (post 1700) +

  • John Carrell, American two-time gold, silver and two-time bronze medalist ice dancer
  • George Aloysius Carrell S.J. (1803-1868), American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church, the first Bishop of Covington (1853 to 1868)
  • Duane Carrell (b. 1949), former professional American NFL football punter for the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets, and St. Louis Cardinals
  • Rudi Carrell (1934-2006), born Rudolf Wijbrand Kesselaar, Dutch entertainer


The Carrell Motto +

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: In Fide et in Bello Fortis
Motto Translation: Strong in both faith and war.


Suggested Readings for the name Carrell +

  • Southern Kirk and Carrell Families by Maudie Marie Holt Marshall.

  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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