Guentel History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsLike many surnames, the name Guentel comes from a personal name, in this case, from Gunter or Gunther. Such names may be patronymic, signifying that the person's father was named Gunther, or they may simply have been chosen arbitrarily at the time when people were taking surnames. Gunther is a French and German name, coming from the Old French "gontier" or the Old German "gunter," both of which mean "battle-army." However one source notes "a tradition in the family says, from gamut d'or, allusive to the gauntlets in their arms; but this is very improbable." 1 Another source note that the name could have been originally Norman as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists N. Gontier, Normandy 1180. This same source notes that "Sir Peter Gontier or Gunter accompanied Bernard de Neumarchd in the conquest of Brecknock 1088, and obtained a fief there." 2 Early Origins of the Guentel familyThe surname Guentel was first found in Oxfordshire, where two men bearing the first names Gunter and Gonther were recorded in the Domesday Book at that time. 3 1 "In Berkshire the name has long been known. In the reign of Henry VI., the Gunters were Berkshire gentlemen. Colonel Gunter, who was a zealous adherent of Charles II., belonged to a family living at Racton, Sussex, in the 16th and 17th centuries, and hailing from Gilleston in Wales before that time. The name also occurs in Gloucestershire, and a reference will be found to it under that county.4 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Geoffrey le Ganter, Cambridgeshire; and Adam le Ganter, Oxfordshire; Walter Guntard, Norfolk; and John Gunter, Oxfordshire. 5 Early History of the Guentel familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guentel research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1100, 1205, 1221, 1581 and 1626 are included under the topic Early Guentel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Guentel Spelling VariationsSpelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Guentel have been found, including Gonther, Gunter, Gunther, Guenthner, Guntard and many more. Early Notables of the Guentel familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Edmund Gunter (1581-1626), English mathematician and inventor, namesake of Gunter's chain, a measuring device used for land survey and Gunter's rule/scale which... Migration of the Guentel familyFor many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Guentel were among those contributors: Lester Gunter, who arrived in New England in 1635.
|