Show ContentsDevall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

This surname "occurs in many languages; but the only instance of it which I recollect in England is that of the monk, Willelmus cognomento Diabolus. The French De Ville, naturalized amongst us, has often been misunderstood to be the synonym of Satan, and various vowel changes have been made by the bearers of it to avoid this very objectionable notion. Hence it is commonly written Divall, Divoll, Devall, &c., while in records Devol, Devile, Deyvil, &c., are found." [1]

One source notes: "they were from Deville or Davidville in Neufchatel in Normandy." [2] [3]

Early Origins of the Devall family

The surname Devall was first found in Sussex where "the first mention we meet with regarding the descendants of this knight is in the reign of henry I. when Nigel de Albini, being enfeoffed by the crown of the manor of Egmanton, Notts, conferred it upon Robert D'Eivill, who appears to have been ancestor of John D'Eivill, Governor of York Castle, a potent Baron of the time of Henry III., and one of the most active against the Royal Cause. " [4]

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Robert de Durevill was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1201; Hugh Durival was found in Eynsham, Oxfordshire in 1300; Sibill Doryual was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1332. [5]

A search through the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 discovered early entries without the "D" prefix: Nicholas de Eyvill in Nottinghamshire; and John de Eyville also in Nottinghamshire. [6]

Early History of the Devall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Devall research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1107, 1577, 1603, 1650, 1662, 1683, 1713, 1877 and 1883 are included under the topic Early Devall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Devall Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Daivile, Daiville, Darville, Daivilla, Darvall, Darvill, Davell, Davall, Dovalle, De Vall, d'Vall, Deyville, Deville, Devill, Devil, Deyville and many more.

Early Notables of the Devall family

More information is included under the topic Early Devall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Devall migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Devall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jon Devall, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 [7]
  • John Devall, who landed in Maryland in 1665 [7]

Australia Devall migration to Australia +

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

Devall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Devall, English convict who was convicted in Colchester, Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [8]
  • Mr. James Devall, English convict who was convicted in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Belgravia" on 4th April 1866, arriving in Western Australia [9]

Contemporary Notables of the name Devall (post 1700) +

  • Mrs. Charles K. DeVall, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1952 [10]
  • Devall Payne, American politician, Presidential Elector for Kentucky, 1824 [11]


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  4. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. 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)
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/belgravia
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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