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Pell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Pell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The distinguished surname Pell emerged among the industrious people of Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. One of the most common classes of surname is the patronymic surname, which was usually derived from the first name of the person's father. Flemish surnames of this type are often characterized by the diminutive suffix -kin, which became very frequent in England during the 14th century. The surname Pell is derived from a pet form of the personal name Peter.

Early Origins of the Pell family

The surname Pell was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Pell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pell research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1608, 1611, 1634, 1654, 1658, 1662, 1669, 1685, 1698, 1777 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Pell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pell Spelling Variations

Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Pell, Pelle, Pel, Pels, Pells, Pelles and others.

Early Notables of the Pell family

Prominent in the family at this time was

Sir John Henry Pelly, 1st Baronet Pelly (1777-1852) Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), for three decades, Governor of the Bank of England
William Pell (1634-1698), was an English nonconformist minister, ejected in 1662 and John Pell (1611-1685) was an English mathematician from Southwick in Sussex. From 1654 to 1658 Pell acted as Oliver...
Thomas Pell (1608-1669) was an English physician and settler to New York from Fairfield, England, known for buying the area known as Pelham, Westchester, New York, founder of the town of Westchester

Pell Ranking

In the United States, the name Pell is the 8,033^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Pell migration to the United States +

In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Pell

Pell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Pell (1612-1669), English physician from Sussex, brother of mathematician John Pell who immigrated to America in the 1630s and founded Pelham, New York
Thomas Pell, aged 22, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell" 2
William Pell, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 2
Joseph Pell, who arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1638 2
Richard Pell, who arrived in America in 1654-1679 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Fredrach Pell, aged 50, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 2
Peter J Pell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1750 2
Joseph Pell, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1766 with his wife and two children
Edward Pell, who settled in Boston in 1767

Pell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Phylah Pell U.E. who arrived in Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 99 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York, USA 3
Mr.SamboPell U.E. (b. 1764), aged 19 who arrived in Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 109 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 20, 1783 at East River, New York, USA 3
Mr. Joshua Pell U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 3

Pell migration to Australia +

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

Pell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Pell, British Convict who was convicted in Newark-on-Trent (Newark upon Trent), Lincolnshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Mr. Walter Charles Pell, (b. 1835), aged 25, Cornish seaman who immigrated to New South Wales, Australia aboard the ship "Wansfel" convicted at Darlinghurst Gaol in 1860 5

Pell 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:

Pell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Walton Pell, aged 22, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
Hannah Pell, aged 22, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
Elizabeth Pell, aged 4, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
John Pell, aged 20, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Westminster" in 1843
Walton Pell, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Harkaway" in 1858 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pell 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. 7

Pell Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Richard Pell, who settled in Barbados in 1635
Rich Pell, aged 22, who landed in Barbados in 1635 2
Mr. Richard Pell, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Pell (post 1700) +

David Pell (1925-2017), American jazz saxophonist and bandleader from New York City
Julia Lorillard Wampage Pell (1953-2006), American advocate for the rights of same-sex couples and president of the Rhode Island Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights
Eva J. Pell (b. 1948), American biologist, plant pathologist, and science administrator at Pennsylvania State University and the Smithsonian Institution
Herbert Claiborne Pell Jr., (1884-1961), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1919-1921), U.S. Minister to Portugal, U.S. Minister to Hungary
Charles Albert Pell (1874-1936), American college football coach for Iowa State Normal and Drake from 1902 until 1907
Philip Pell (1753-1811), American politician and lawyer from Pelham Manor, New York, member of the New York State Assembly and as a delegate for New York to the Confederation Congress
Charley Byron Pell (1941-2001), American football coach and former player
Claiborne de Borda Pell (1918-2009), United States Senator from Rhode Island (1961-1997), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (1987-1995), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration (1978-1981)
Sir Watkin Owen Pell (1788-1869), English admiral in the British Navy, son of Samuel Pell of Sywell Hall, Northamptonshire
Harry David Balraj Pell (b. 1991), English professional footballer
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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)
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
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_gaol_admissions.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm