Show ContentsGunnels History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Gunnels family

The surname Gunnels was first found in Normandy where "Gunwell, Gonville or Conteville, descended from Herluin, Lord of Conteville by his first marriage, the issue of which, Ralph de Conteville is stated by Orderic Vitalis to have had grants from the Conqueror in England. Accordingly in 1083 he appears holding lands in Somerset, his barony being held in Gloucester, and being held 1086 by his son Fitz-Ralph." [1] [2]

Edmund Gonvile (d. 1351), founder of Gonville Hall, Cambridge, and of Rushworth College, Norfolk, is described in the commemoration service of Gonville and Caius College as a son of Sir Nicholas Gonvile. [3]

Early History of the Gunnels family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gunnels research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1172 and 1327 are included under the topic Early Gunnels History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gunnels Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gunnels, Gunnells, Gunnild, Gunild, Gunilt, Gunnild, Gunnilt, Gunnett, Gunnet, Gonnel and many more.

Early Notables of the Gunnels family

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

Gunnels Ranking

In the United States, the name Gunnels is the 15,186th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [4]


United States Gunnels migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gunnels Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Frederick Gunnels, who arrived in Mississippi in 1798 [5]
Gunnels Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Dorothy Gunnels, aged 25, destined for Toledo, Ohio in 1903
  • T.H. Gunnels, aged 50, destined for Toledo, Ohio in 1903
  • Margaret Gunnels, aged 59, who settled in New York, in 1914

Contemporary Notables of the name Gunnels (post 1700) +

  • Riley Gunnels (b. 1937), former professional American NFL football player who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers from 1960 to 1966
  • J. O. Gunnels, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1956 [6]


  1. 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)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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