Show ContentsScoville History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Atlantic Ocean to the north and west and the English Channel to the south borders Cornwall, the homeland to the Scoville family name. Even though the usage of surnames was common during the Middle Ages, all English people were known only by a single name in early times. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. The Scoville family originally lived in Cornwall. Their name however, is derived from the village of Scoville, Normandy, where the family lived before arriving with the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

Early Origins of the Scoville family

The surname Scoville was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of St. Austell and also having branches at Mavaggissey, Polrudden, Tregonnan and Menagwins. Another reference claims this name in old Cornish language signifies broom-plant. "The family have flourished for a long series of generations, in knightly and gentle degree, in that part of England." [1] The first one record was Thomas de Scobbahull, Sheriff of Devon in 1291. [2]

"Although Menagwins [Cornwall] exhibits at present no other dwelling than a farm-house, it still retains several memorials of departed grandeur that were the companions of its former fame. In the days of Charles I. it was the seat of Richard Scobell, who was afterwards clerk of the parliament under Oliver Cromwell. About a century ago it was the habitation of Francis Scobell, Esq. who married one of the co-heiresses of Sir John Tredinham, knight." [3]

Early History of the Scoville family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Scoville research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1291, 1610, 1648 and 1660 are included under the topic Early Scoville History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scoville Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Scobell, Scobel, Schobell, Schobel, Scobahull, Scobbahull, Scobhull, Scobhill, Scoble, Scobal and many more.

Early Notables of the Scoville family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Thomas Scobbahull, Sheriff of Devon; and Henry Scobell (c. 1610-1660), an English Parliamentary official, and clerk to the Long Parliament. "He is said to have been born at Menagwin in St. Austell, Cornwall, and to have owned...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Scoville Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Scoville Ranking

In the United States, the name Scoville is the 8,244th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [4]


United States Scoville migration to the United States +

The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Scoville:

Scoville Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • A C Scoville, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [5]
  • C B Scoville, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Scoville (post 1700) +

  • Vernon E. Scoville III (1953-2022), American politician and jurist, Member of the Missouri House of Representatives (1982-1991), Associate judge for the Missouri Circuit Court of Jackson County (1991-2013)
  • Thomas Scoville (b. 1960), American humorist, technologist and author
  • Nick Scoville, American Francis L. Moseley Professor of Astronomy at Caltech
  • William Beecher Scoville (1906-1984), American neurosurgeon who founded the Department of Neurosurgery at Connecticut's Hartford Hospital in 1939
  • Wilbur Lincoln Scoville (1865-1942), American pharmacist, best known for inventing the "Scoville Organoleptic Test," now known as the Scoville scale
  • Jonathan Scoville (1830-1891), American politician, Mayor of Buffalo (1884-1885), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1880-1883)
  • Frank A. Scoville, American politician, Member of Nebraska State House of Representatives, 1885 [6]
  • F. A. Scoville, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nebraska, 1888 [6]
  • Edward A. Scoville, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Southbury; Elected 1910 [6]
  • D. A. Scoville, American politician, Member of Nebraska State Senate, 1879; Member of Nebraska State House of Representatives, 1889 [6]
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  3. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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