Show ContentsFeernile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Feernile is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Feernile family once lived by a fern-covered hill. The name is both a surname and a place-name, and is derived from the Old English elements fearn, for fern, and hyll, the word for hill. 1 Alternatively, another source notes that the surname denotes a "dweller at the Fern Slope or Corner [Old English fearn + heal(h)] for Farnhill." 2

Early Origins of the Feernile family

The surname Feernile was first found in East Cheshire at Fernhill, or at Farnhill in West Riding of Yorkshire or at Farnell Wood in Kent. Some of the first records of the name include: Richard de Farenhull in 1214; William de Fernhulle in 1263 and Hugh de la Fernhull in 1275; John de Farnhull, listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273; and William atte Farnhulle in 1298. 1

In Scotland, the name was derived from "the lands of Famell in Angus. Between 1214 and 1246 Duncan de Ferneuel witnessed charters by Malcolm, earl of Angus, and a charter of land in the territory of Kerimor to Arbroath Abbey. Meg Fernwale is recorded in Aberdeen, 1408." 3

Early History of the Feernile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Feernile research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1246 and 1379 are included under the topic Early Feernile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Feernile Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Feernile family name include Farnell, Farnel, Farnall, Farnyll, Farnill and many more.

Early Notables of the Feernile family

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

Migration of the Feernile family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Feernile surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Robert Farnell purchased land in Virginia in 1623. Mary Farnell also landed in Virginia, later, in 1655.



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook