Show ContentsIngalls History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Ingalls surname is an English name with Norse roots, deriving from either of two Old Norse personal names "Ingjaldr," or from "Ingólfr" "Ing's wolf," Ing was an ancient Germanic fertility god. Some instances of this name in Britain are thought to have evolved from the place name Ingol, in Lancashire, which is named from the Old English personal name Inga with the Old English word "holh," meaning a "hollow," or "depression."

Early Origins of the Ingalls family

The surname Ingalls was first found in Huntingdon, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. The first on record appears to be an Ingoldus, who was listed in the Cartularium monasterii de Rameseia, as being in Huntingdonshire, between the years 1140 and 1130.

Early History of the Ingalls family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ingalls research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1229, 1274, 1279, 1327, 1609, 1642, 1645 and 1653 are included under the topic Early Ingalls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ingalls Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ingle, Ingall, Ingalls, Ingal, Ingals, Ingull, Ingulls, Inggall, Inggalls, Ingold, Ingolds, Ingles, Ingoll, Ingolls, Ingill and many more.

Early Notables of the Ingalls family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ingalls Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ingalls Ranking

In the United States, the name Ingalls is the 4,776th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


United States Ingalls migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ingalls Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edmond Ingalls (1586-1648), from Lincolnshire, England he arrived at Salem Massachusetts with Governor John Endicott in 1628, he later founded Lynn, Massachusetts
  • Edmund Ingalls, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1629 2
  • Francis Ingalls, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1629 2
  • Edmond and Francis Ingalls, who settled in Lynn Massachusetts in 1635
  • Samuel Ingalls, who landed in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1665 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Ingalls Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Solomon and John Ingalls, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1820 and 1822 respectively
  • John Ingalls, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1849 2
  • J W Ingalls, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • J. W. R. Ingalls settled in San Francisco, California in 1850
  • George Ingalls, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Ingalls (post 1700) +

  • Joyce Elaine Ingalls (1950-2015), American actress and model, best known for her roles in Paradise Alley in 1978 and Lethal Weapon 4 in 1998
  • Laura Louise Colby Ingalls (1810-1883), American real life "Grandma" in Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods
  • Lansford Whiting Ingalls (1812-1896), Canadian-born, American real life "Grandpa" in Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods
  • Charles Phillip Ingalls (1836-1902), American father of Laura Ingalls Wilder, known for her Little House on the Prairie series of books
  • Rufus Ingalls (1818-1893), American military general, the 16th Quartermaster General of the United States Army
  • Melville Ezra "M.E." Ingalls (1842-1914), American state legislator for Massachusetts, President of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
  • Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957), American author who wrote the Little House series of books based on her childhood in a pioneer family
  • Jeremiah Ingalls (1764-1838), one of the first American composers
  • James Monroe Ingalls (1837-1927), American soldier and an authority on ballistics
  • David Sinton Ingalls DSC and DFC (1899-1985), United States Navy Flying Ace of World War I credited with 6 victories, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Richard Fitch Ingalls, American Ship's Cook Third Class from New York, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 3
  • Mr. Theodore A Ingalls, American Ship's Cook Third Class from New York, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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