Randall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The name Randall was spawned by the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture that ruled a majority of Britain. It comes from the baptismal name Randel. In this case the surname Randall was a diminutive of the personal name Rand, a short form of various German names with the first element rand meaning shield or wolf. 1

Alternatively, the name was derived from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of Randolph,' from the nickname Randle. As such, the earliest records of the family were as a forename as in Randle de Arclet, Cheshire, temp. 1290. 2

Early Origins of the Randall family

The surname Randall was first found in the parish of Ladock in Cornwall. "Hay, which was formerly deemed a genteel residence, was successively a seat of the families of Randyll, Tregain, and Bone." 3

Early History of the Randall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Randall research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1436, 1570, 1581, 1587, 1592, 1598, 1622, 1758, 1781, 1799, 1815, 1822 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Randall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Randall Spelling Variations

Randall has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Randall have been found, including Randall, Rendle, Randal, Rendel, Rendell and others.

Early Notables of the Randall family

Notables of the family at this time include

John Randall (1570-1622), English divine, born at Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire who was sent at the early age of eleven to St. Mary Hall, Oxford, where he matriculated on 27 Nov. 1581. He was elect...

Randall World Ranking

In the United States, the name Randall is the 527^th most popular surname with an estimated 54,714 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Randall is ranked the 525^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,346 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Randall is the 820^th popular surname with an estimated 892 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Randall as 440^th with 14,682 people. 7

Migration of the Randall family to Ireland

Some of the Randall family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Randall migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Randalls to arrive on North American shores:

Randall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Philip Randall, his wife and their three children, who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1633
Philip Randall, who arrived in New England in 1634 8
John Randall, who arrived in Virginia in 1635
Abraham Randall, who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1636 8
Thomas Randall, who landed in Virginia in 1636 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Randall Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Isaac Randall, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 8

Randall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Osborn W Randall, who arrived in Texas in 1835 8
Jeremiah Randall, aged 32, who landed in New York, NY in 1842 8
Mr. Jeremiah Randall, (b. 1810), aged 32, Cornish miner departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in the United States on 19 May 1842 9
Mrs. Mary Randall, (b. 1812), aged 30, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in the United States on 19 May 1842 9
Mary Randall, aged 30, who landed in New York, NY in 1842 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Randall migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Randall Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

David Randall, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
John Randall, who settled in Trinity, Newfoundland in 1780

Randall Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Stephen W Randall, who arrived in Canada in 1828

Randall migration to Australia +

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

Randall Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mrs. Mary Randall, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "Bellona" in July 1792, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10

Randall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Randall, English convict who was convicted in Derby, Derbyshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. William Randall, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Charles Randall, a butcher, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. Charles Randall, (b. 1809), aged 18, English shepherd who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for robbery, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he did in 1875 13
Mr. William Randall, (b. 1812), aged 17, English carpenter who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for larceny, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1882 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Randall migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Randall Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Harding Randall, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Belle Creole" in 1855
Sarah Randall, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Belle Creole" in 1855
H. Randall, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ulcoats" in 1864
John Randall, aged 26, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 15
Jane Randall, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Randall migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Randall Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Henry Randall, who settled in Barbados in 1685
Bartholomew Randall, who settled in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Randall (post 1700) +

Bryan Randall (1966-2023), American photographer, husband of Sandra Bullock, he died from ALS
Frankie Billy Randall (1961-2020), nicknamed "The Surgeon", an American professional boxer who competed from 1983 to 2005
John Ernest "Jack" Randall (1924-2020), American ichthyologist and a leading authority on coral reef fishes
Brigadier-General Russell Edward Randall (1902-1992), American Air Attaché to Soviet Union (1948-1949) 17
Scott Phillip Randall (b. 1975), American former Major League Baseball pitcher
Willard Sterne Randall (b. 1942), American historian and author
Samuel Randall, American cattle breeder in Sunderland, Vermont, eponym of Randall Cattle
John Witt Randall (1813-1892), American naturalist, poet and art collector
Walter Doane "Bo" Randall Jr. (1909-1989), American knifemaker who founded Randall Made Knives (1938)
Dave Randall (b. 1967), American former professional tennis player
... (Another 138 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Randall family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Victor J Randall (b. 1919), English Stoker 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Dorchester, Dorset, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18
Mr. Stanley R Randall (b. 1921), English Marine serving for the Royal Marine from Rotherithe, London, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18
Mr. Maurice P Randall (b. 1923), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Dorking, Surrey, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18
Mr. Cyril W Randall (b. 1922), English Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from North End, Portsmouth, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. H Randall, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 19
Mr. Frederick Randall, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 19

HMS Royal Oak

Edward Randall, British Joiner with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 20

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Charles Randall, English 1st Class Cabin Bed Steward from Bootle, Lancashire, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 21

RMS Titanic

Mr. Frank Henry Randall (d. 1912), aged 27, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 22

The Randall Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nil extra numerum
Motto Translation: Nothing out of time.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. 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)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bellona
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Russell Randall. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Randall/Russell_Edward/USA.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html