Show ContentsAbell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Abell

What does the name Abell mean?

The surname Abell is a patronymic name, derived from the Old German personal name Abel, which means "noble one." Interestingly, it does not appear to be derived from the biblical name Abel. The surname is associated with Swabia, in the southwest of Germany.

Early Origins of the Abell family

The surname Abell was first found in Wuerttembeg, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that south-western region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation.

Early History of the Abell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abell research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1495, 1547, 1628, 1634, 1682, 1684, 1685, 1696, 1725, 1761, 1781, 1782, 1787, 1802 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Abell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Abel, Abele, Aubeller, Abell, Abelle, Abeles, Abeler and many more.

Early Notables of the Abell family

Christoph Ignaz Abele, von und zu Lilienberg (1628-1685), an Austrian jurist; Christian Ferdinand Abel (1682-1761), one of the most famous German Baroque violinists, cellists and especially viol virtuosos; and his son, Clamor Heinrich Abel (1634-1696), a German composer, violinist and organist; and Karl Friedrich Abel (1725-1787), student of Bach and composer, a chamber musician to Queen Charlotte in London. John Ludwig Abeille, born at Bayreuth...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Abell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abell Ranking

the United States, the name Abell is the 4,143rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


Abell migration to the United States +



Abell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Robert Abell (1605-1663), English settler from Stapenhill, Derbyshire who landed in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 3
  • Peter Abell, who landed in Long Island in 1656 3
  • James Abell, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 3
  • Joseph Abell, who landed in Maryland in 1667 3
  • Macklett Abell, who arrived in Maryland in 1667 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Abell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hans Jacob Abell, who landed in New York in 1709 3
Abell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • E S Abell, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
  • R Abell, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Abell migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Mr. Thomas Abell, British settler convicted in Shrewsbury (Salop), England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for robbery, transported aboard the ship "Britannia" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 2
  • Mr. William Abell, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1789, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Third Fleet" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 3
Third Fleet
  • Miss Mary Abel, (b. 1754), aged 33, English settler convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire on 5th March 1785, sentenced for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Lady Penrhyn" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 3

Abell 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. 4
Abell Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Robert Abell, aged 28, who landed in Antigua (Antego) in 1683 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Abell (post 1700) +

  • Charles S Abell, American Army Lieutenant-Colonel, appointed Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (2002)
  • George Ogden Abell, American astronomer at UCLA
  • Sam Abell (b. 1945), American (New York) photographer who has worked with the National Geographic Society since 1970
  • Sir Fredrick Augustus Abell (1827-1902), British scientist and inventor who developed explosives
  • Welton Ralph Abell (1922-1998), American Navy Cross recipient
  • Tim Abell (b. 1968), American actor
  • Chris Abell (b. 1957), British biological chemist
  • Sir Frederick Abell, noted English Chemist
  • Kjeld Abell (1901-1961), Danish playwright


Suggested Readings for the name Abell +

  • The Abell Family of St. Mary's County, Maryland and the American Revolution by William Russell Abell.
  • Heirs of Eleanor Abell and Thomas Greenwell by Tillie Whelan Onischak.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  3. 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)
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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