Show ContentsArnold History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Arnold Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Arnold

What does the name Arnold mean?

The name Arnold originated with the Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled Britain. It is derived from the personal name Arnoaldi, which is itself derived from the Frankish name "Arnuwalda." The Frankish given name Arnuwald, which is composed of two elements, arnu, which means eagle, and walda, which means powerful, was given to a person who was as powerful as an eagle.

Another source notes: "Arnold. - Introduced by the Normans. Though widely scattered, it is confined south of a line from the Wash to the Mersey. It is at present most frequent in Warwickshire and Leicestershire. In the time of Edward I. it was numerously represented in Cambridgeshire (Hundred Rolls)." 1

However, not all of the family emigrated to England at the time of the Conquest: "Robert Ernaldus, or Ernaut, and William Ernaut occur in Normandy 1180-98 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae)." 2

Early Origins of the Arnold family

The surname Arnold was first found in various counties and shire throughout ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 elude to this: Arnald or Amard Atte-broke in Essex; Walter filius Arnald in Lincolnshire; Stephen Arnold in Kent; John filius Arnoldi in Cambridgeshire; and Ayelina relicta Arnold in Huntingdonshire. 3 Some of these early listings reflect the Latin from of the names which was so prevalent at the time.

Further to the north in Scotland, the name was probably derived from "Aeenald (Ernald, Ernold) or Arnold, second abbot of Kelso, who was elected bishop of St. Andrews, 1160. William le fiz Arnaud (the French form of the name), was king's tenant in counte de Linlescu and Henry le fiz Arnaud del counte de Selkirk rendered homage 1296." 4 The latter reference "rendered homage" was noting the this person had paid homage to King Edward I of England upon his invasion of Scotland.

Early History of the Arnold family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arnold research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1212, 1273, 1296, 1587, 1615, 1635, 1676, 1678, 1702 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Arnold History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arnold Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Arnold has appeared include Arnold, Ernold, FitzArnold, Arrnold, Errnold, Aernold and many more.

Early Notables of the Arnold family

  • William Arnold (1587-ca.1676), English settler to America in 1635, one of the founding settlers of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and with his sons was among the wealthiest peo...
  • Benedict Arnold (1615-1678), English-born settler from Somerset, President and then Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
  • John Arnold of Monmouthshire (ca. 1635-1702), a Welsh Protestant politician and Whig MP who held Llanvihangel Court, a notable figure during the Popish plot and the suppression of Catholicism in the c...

Arnold World Ranking

the United States, the name Arnold is the 170th most popular surname with an estimated 139,272 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Arnold is ranked the 503rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,704 people with that name. 6 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Arnold is the 626th popular surname with an estimated 73 people with that name. 7 France ranks Arnold as 1,441st with 4,003 people. 8 Australia ranks Arnold as 243rd with 14,122 people. 9 New Zealand ranks Arnold as 328th with 1,907 people. 10 The United Kingdom ranks Arnold as 250th with 23,892 people. 11

Migration of the Arnold family to Ireland

Some of the Arnold family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Arnold migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Arnold arrived in North America very early:

Arnold Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William and Thomas Arnold of Nottingham, England, who settled in Higham Mass, and Watertown New York in May 1635. William later moved to Providence, Rhode Island. He was allegedly the richest man in the colony, and he was the ancestor of Benedict Arnold
  • Ann Arnold, aged 39, British settler from Middlesex, England who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Abigail" 13
  • James Arnold, aged 37, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 13
  • Jasper Arnold, (Shoreditch) aged 40, British settler from Middlesex who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Abigail" 13
  • John Arnold, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1635 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Arnold Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Nich Arnold, who landed in Virginia in 1706 13
  • Johan Arnold, who landed in New York in 1709 13
  • Hans Georg Arnold, who landed in America in 1709 13
  • Jacob Arnold, British settler who landed in New York, NY in 1710 with his wife Elisabeth 13
  • John Arnold, who landed in Virginia in 1714 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Arnold Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joh Geft Arnold, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 13
  • Joseph Hayman Arnold, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1806 13
  • Henri Arnold, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1807 13
  • David Arnold, aged 34, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 13
  • J Arnold, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Arnold Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • John C Arnold, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1902 13

Arnold migration to Canada +

Arnold Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Arnold Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • George Arnold was a defendant in the Supreme Court in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1810 14
  • Pat Arnold from County Waterford, Ireland, was married in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1811 14
  • John Arnold from England and his brother William settled at Greenspond, Newfoundland in 1836, moved later to Traytown 14
  • Miss. Dorothy Arnold, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Leontine" departing 28th May 1847 from Bremen, Germany; the ship arrived on 28th July 1847 but she died on board 16
  • Ms. Hannah Arnold who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Leontine" departing 28th May 1847 from Bremen, Germany; the ship arrived on 28th July 1847 but she died on board 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Arnold migration to Australia +

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

First Fleet
  • Mr. Richard Arnold, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1788, sentenced to Life for theft, transported aboard the ship "Neptune, Scarborough or Surprize" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 12
  • Miss Mary Arnold, (b. 1762), aged 25, British settler convicted in London, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Lady Juliana" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 13
Following the First Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Arnold Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Sarah Arnold, British Convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 17
  • Mr.Benjamin Arnold, British settler who was convicted in Hertfordshire, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Fortune" on 31st October 1812, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 18
  • Mr. James Arnold, English convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 19
  • Mr. Patrick Arnold, (b. 1792), aged 28, Irish cotton spinner who was convicted in County Meath, Ireland for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1831 20
  • Mr. William Arnold, Canadian convict who was convicted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada for life, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 21
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Arnold 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:

Arnold Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • T Arnold, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Aldous Arnold, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Whitby" in 1841
  • John Arnold, aged 25, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" in 1842
  • Harriet Arnold, aged 25, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" in 1842
  • Mr. John Arnold, British settler arriving as the 1st detachment of Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps travelling from Tilbury, Essex aboard the ship "Ramillies" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th August 1847 22
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Arnold 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. 23
Arnold Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Arnold, (b. 1616), aged 18, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Arnold (post 1700) +

  • Benedict Arnold (1741-1801), American General, born at Norwich, Connecticut, 14 Jan. 1740-1, best known as a traitor in the American Revolution 24
  • Florence Norene "Blondie" Arnold (1927-1987), American right-handed pitcher and utility infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1949)
  • Lenna B. Arnold (1920-2010), American pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • Louise "Lou" Veronica Arnold (1923-2010), American pitcher who played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • Frank Harold Arnold (1934-2024), American college basketball coach
  • Bené Arnold (1935-2024), American ballet dancer and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Utah
  • David A. Arnold (1968-2022), American stand-up comedian, sitcom writer, producer, actor, writer and producer for the Netflix revival series Fuller House
  • David J. Arnold Jr. (1971-2021), American politician, Member of the Pennsylvania Senate (2020-2021)
  • Martin Arnold (1929-2013), American journalist for nearly four decades at The New York Times
  • ... (Another 211 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Mr. Llewellyn Arnold (1929-1979), Baldwin, (1929-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Birkenhead, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 25
  • Ms. Valerie Ellen Arnold (1930-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Papatoetoe, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 26
  • Ms. Melinda Maria Arnold (d. 1979), New Zealander passenger, from Manurewa, South Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 26
  • Harriet Arnold (b. 1822), British passenger who died aboard the ship "Cataraqui" when sailing for Melbourne, Australia she struck rocks of Kings Island and sank on 4th April 1845
  • Anne Arnold (b. 1824), British passenger who died aboard the ship "Cataraqui" when sailing for Melbourne, Australia she struck rocks of Kings Island and sank on 4th April 1845
  • ... (Another 10 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Arnold 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: Ut vivas vigila
Motto Translation: Watch that you may live.

Suggested Readings for the name Arnold +

  • Ancestry and Descendants of John Chambers Arnold and Mary Elizabeth (Shepherd) Arnold: 1789-1967 by Marjorie Organ Regan.
  • The Arnold Best, Cullison and Herron Families by Evelyn L. Strong.
  1. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  7. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  8. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  9. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  10. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  11. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  12. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  13. 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)
  14. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  15. 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
  16. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 64)
  17. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  18. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au
  19. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
  20. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
  21. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
  22. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  24. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019
  25. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx

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