Contents [hide]

Revell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Revell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Revell is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Revell family lived in Warwickshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Reville, near Bernai, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 1

The name is derived from the Old French word "revel" which means "pride, rebellion, sport", from the word "reveler" which means "to rebel." Interestingly, there is a font-name named "Revel" which was common in Old French and Middle English records which may actually be from the Latin word "rebellus."

Early Origins of the Revell family

The surname Revell was first found in Hertford and Northamptonshire where Robert Revel held two estates as early as 1130. A few years later Richard Revel was listed as holding two fees in barony in Somerset in 1165. Henry Revel was one of the nobles taken at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland in 1174. 2

Sir Richard Revell or Rivell (died 1222) was an English knight and landowner, said to have been the son of William Revell, probably a landowner in Devonshire and lord of Revelstoke in that county. He received from Henry II grants of 'Curi' or Curry Rivell, and Langport, both in Somerset, and is said to have built a castle at Langport. He appears to have had a son named Richard, who probably predeceased his father. 3

Early History of the Revell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Revell research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1305 and 1544 are included under the topic Early Revell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Revell Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Revel, Revell, Revill, Reville and others.

Early Notables of the Revell family

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

Revell Ranking

In the United States, the name Revell is the 7,515^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Revell family to Ireland

Some of the Revell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Revell migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Revell or a variant listed above were:

Revell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Revell, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet
John Revell, who landed in Maryland in 1634 5
Rebecca Revell, who arrived in Maryland in 1634 5
Mr. James Revell, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Constance" arriving in Virginia in 1635 6
James Revell, who settled in Virginia in 1635
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Revell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Revell, who settled in Rappahannock in Virginia in 1726

Revell migration to Australia +

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

Revell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Revell, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Benjamin Revell, (Revill), (b. 1807), aged 31, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 27th July 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1847 8
Mr. David Revell, English convict who was convicted in Coventry, England for life, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
James Revell, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Duke of Wellington" 10
James Revell, aged 24, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke Of Wellington" in 1849 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Revell (post 1700) +

Grey Revell (b. 1973), American music producer and songwriter
Donald Revell (b. 1954), American poet, essayist, translator and professor
Martin F. Revell, American politician, Postmaster at Annapolis, Maryland, 1844-49 11
Frank S. Revell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1924, 1936 11
Alexander Hamilton Revell (b. 1858), American Republican politician, Delegate to Illinois State Constitutional Convention 29th District, 1920-22 11
Alexander David "Alex" Revell (b. 1983), English football striker
Mr. John Revell, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1537 to 1538
Surgeon Vice-Admiral Revell, retired British Royal Navy medical officer and Surgeon General of the British Armed Forces
Fleur Revell (b. 1972), New Zealand public relations consultant and former television personality
Ian Murray Revell (b. 1948), former New Zealand politician
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Revell family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Basil Halvor Revell (1927-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Waiwera, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 12
Mrs. Eileen Geraldine Revell (1919-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Waiwera, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 12

RMS Titanic

Mr. William Revell (d. 1912), aged 31, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 13

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Duke%20of%20Wellington.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html