Contents [hide]

Randal History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Randal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The Randal family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the baptismal name Randel. In this case the surname Randal was a diminutive of the personal name Rand, a short form of various German names with the first element rand meaning shield or wolf. 1

Alternatively, the name was derived from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of Randolph,' from the nickname Randle. As such, the earliest records of the family were as a forename as in Randle de Arclet, Cheshire, temp. 1290. 2

Early Origins of the Randal family

The surname Randal was first found in the parish of Ladock in Cornwall. "Hay, which was formerly deemed a genteel residence, was successively a seat of the families of Randyll, Tregain, and Bone." 3

Early History of the Randal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Randal research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1436, 1570, 1581, 1587, 1592, 1598, 1622, 1758, 1781, 1799, 1815, 1822 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Randal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Randal Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Randal include Randall, Rendle, Randal, Rendel, Rendell and others.

Early Notables of the Randal family

Notables of the family at this time include

John Randall (1570-1622), English divine, born at Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire who was sent at the early age of eleven to St. Mary Hall, Oxford, where he matriculated on 27 Nov. 1581. He was elect...

Migration of the Randal family to Ireland

Some of the Randal family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Randal migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Randal were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Randal Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Randal, aged 21, who landed in Maryland in 1774 4

Randal Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Randal, who arrived in America in 1806 4
Jacob Randal, who settled in New York City in 1821
Jacob Randal, aged 45, who landed in America in 1821 4

Randal migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Randal Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Peter Randal, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760

Randal migration to Australia +

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

Randal Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Randal, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1840 5

Randal 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:

Randal Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Randal, aged 29, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Annie Randal, aged 28, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Alice M. Randal, aged 7, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Annie H. Randal, aged 5, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Katherine Randal, aged 3, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Randal (post 1700) +

Ward Randal Scarff (b. 1957), Australian former cricketer
John Randal Bradburne MC (1921-1979), British lay member of the Order of St Francis, warden of the Mutemwa leper colony at Mutoko, killed by guerrillas
Mike Randal Colter (b. 1976), American actor
Sir William Randal Cremer (1838-1908), English pacifist
Randal Barry Orton (1958-2021), American actor and professional wrestler
Randal Marlin (b. 1938), American-born, Canadian philosophy professor at Carleton University in Ottawa
Randal Keith Quarles (b. 1957), American economist, Vice Chair for Supervision of the Federal Reserve (2017-)
Randal Morgan, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Texas State Senate, 1992, 1994, 1996 6
Major-General Randal Rumley (1811-1884), British Army officer, Commander-in-Chief, Scotland
Randal Sprecher, American founder of Sprecher Brewery, a brewery in Glendale, Wisconsin, Milwaukee's first craft brewery since Prohibition

The Randal 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: Nil extra numerum
Motto Translation: Nothing out of time.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BABOO 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Baboo.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html