Mayall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The distinguished surname Mayall is one of the many names that was brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is derived from the Middle English personal name "Mihel," which was a vernacular form of "Michael," meaning "Who is like the Lord?" 1

Early Origins of the Mayall family

The surname Mayall was first found in Norfolk, where the given name Mihel is thought to have emerged. A very rare name, the earliest known bearer of the surname was John Mihell, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1524. Mihil Cristen was listed in 1549. 2 The family has a long history in Oldham, Lancashire.

Early History of the Mayall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mayall research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1524, 1603, 1796, 1830 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Mayall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mayall Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mayell, Mayall, Miall, Myhill, Miell, Myall, Myell, Mihell and many more.

Early Notables of the Mayall family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

William Miell (d. 1796), a well-known British actor, Samuel Mayall (d. 1830), who founded Mayall Woolen Mills in Maine, and Robert Hume Davison Mayall (b. 1870), a mathematician and lecturer

Mayall migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mayall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Mayall, aged 20, who arrived in Delaware in 1812 3

Mayall migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Mayall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Mayall who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Miss Ann Mayall who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Robert Mayall, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Omega" 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Mayall (post 1700) +

John Mayall OBE (b. 1933), English blues singer, guitarist, organist and songwriter, founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, hailed as the "father of British blues"; he has worked with Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jack Bruce, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and many more
Nicholas Ulrich Mayall (1906-1993), American observational astronomer, known for his work at the Lick Observatory (1934-1960), Director of the Kitt Peak National Observatory (1960-1971)
Margaret Walton Mayall (1902-1995), American astronomer from Iron Hill, Maryland, Director of the American Association of Variable Star Observers from 1949 to 1973
Samuel Mayall (1816-1892), American politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives, 1845-47, 1848; Member of Maine State Senate, 1847-48; U.S. Representative from Maine 2nd District, 1853-55 7
John Jabez Edwin Paisley Mayall (1813-1901), English photographer from Oldham, Lancashire who took the first carte-de-visite photographs of Queen Victoria in 1860
James Mayall (1856-1916), English cricketer from Oldham, Lancashire who played as a wicket-keeper for Lancashire
Jeremy "Remy" Mayall (b. 1983), New Zealand composer
Rik Mayall (1958-2014), British actor, writer, and comedian best known for his work on the television series "The Young Ones"

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 31st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) OMEGA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Omega.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html