Hal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
Germany
Scotland
Ireland
England

The first bearers of the distinguished surname Hal came to England in the great wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is occupational in origin, stemming from the primary activity of the bearer. It is derived from the Old French term "halle," which referred to a large manor house, which indicates that the original bearer of the name worked at the manor of the local Lord in some role such as a servant or chamberlain. 1 2 3

Many of the Norman noblemen who came to England with William the Conqueror soon grew dissatisfied with William's rule; as such, members of the Hal family accepted land grants from King Malcolm Canmore of Scotland, and became prominent in that country.

Early Origins of the Hal family

The surname Hal was first found in Lincolnshire, England, where the family was granted lands after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Hal family is directly descended from Earl Fitzwilliam, who held a family seat at Greatford Hall in Lincolnshire, after the Norman Conquest.

The younger son of this noble house, Arthur FitzWilliam, came to be known as "Hall" so as to distinguish him from his senior brother. Hence, Arthur Hall was the first known bearer of the name, appearing on record about the year 1090. 4

In Scotland, the name in Latin was de Aula and accordingly, the first record here was "Waldeu de Aula who witnessed a charter by Walter de Veteri Ponte a. 1200." 5

Over one hundred years later the English version of the name was in use as "John of the Hall was one of an inquest made at Berwick, 1302 and c. 1311 Thomas dictus del Halle witnessed resignation by Adam de Dowane of his land of Grenryg in the barony of Lesmahagow." 5

During this period, Latin and English for records was in use as about the same time as the last entries, we found "in 1325 mention is made of Thomas dictus de Aula, and Andreas de Aula held land in Aynstrother c. 1330. The first Hall of Fulbar in Renfrewshire was Thomas de Aula, surgeon, who for his faithful service obtained from Robert II a grant of land in the tenement of Staneley, barony of Renffrow, 1370." 5

Early History of the Hal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hal research. Another 232 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1340, 1376, 1400, 1423, 1426, 1454, 1456, 1463, 1470, 1485, 1550, 1574, 1581, 1600, 1610, 1613, 1619, 1620, 1627, 1637, 1646, 1654, 1656, 1657, 1660, 1661, 1662, 1664, 1665, 1667, 1668, 1669, 1672, 1674, 1687, 1688, 1690, 1715, 1716, 1730, 1776 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hal Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hall, Halle, Haule, Haul, Hal, De Aule and others.

Early Notables of the Hal family

Notable among the family at this time was

John Hall, known as "Mad Jack Hall" and "Crazy Jack Hall" (1672-1716), a Scottish Jacobite leader, property owner and a Justice of Peace in Northumberland, a major figure during the First Scottish Upr...
In England, Joseph Hall (1574-1656), was an English bishop, satirist and moralist; George Hall (c.1613-1668), an English Bishop of Chester (1662-1668); Thomas Hall (1610-1665), an English clergyman an...

Migration of the Hal family to Ireland

Some of the Hal family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hal family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Christopher Hall who settled in Virginia in 1623; Alexander Hall settled in Virginia in 1654; Ann Hall settled in Barbados in 1660; Daniel Hall settled in Delaware in 1682.

Contemporary Notables of the name Hal (post 1700) +

James Hal Cone (1936-2018), American theologian from Fordyce, Arkansas, an advocat of black theology and black liberation theology
Herbert Hal Reynolds (1930-2007), American academic, President of Baylor University from 1981 to 1995
Kevin Hal Reynolds (b. 1952), American film director and screenwriter
William Hal Ashby (1929-1988), American film director and film editor
J Hal Deatherage, American Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee
Conrad Hal Waddington (1905-1975), British biologist who developed the theory of epigenesis
G. Hal Manahan (b. 1886), American Republican politician, Gas and oil dealer; Chair of Elkhart County Republican Party, 1942-44 6
Hal Linden (b. 1931), American seven-time Primetime Emmy Award and three-time Golden Globe Award nominated stage and screen actor, television director and musician, best known role in the television comedy series Barney Miller
Hal Buell (1931-2024), American photographer
Hal Kanter (1918-2011), American writer, director and actor, executive producer on the TV show 'All in the Family' and head writer for 'Bob Hope'

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html