Show ContentsAngell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the name Angell are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the Old English personal name Angel, which is derived from the Latin Angelus and the Greek Angelos, which means a messenger. The personal name also appeared in the feminine forms of Angela and Angelina. 1

The name is denoted for "one who acted as a religious messenger or as a messenger from God; a nickname for an angelic person; descendant of Angel, a man's name in England." 2

Early Origins of the Angell family

The surname Angell was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very early times, some say before the Norman Conquest of England by Duke William in 1066 A.D. It is likely that this name originated in one of the conquering families of Angles who settled in Lancashire after the conquest of the Strathclyde Britons. The name was written in early records as Anglicus, but the name was carried from England to France as D'Anglars.

Early History of the Angell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Angell research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1555, 1610, 1618, 1636, 1655 and 1694 are included under the topic Early Angell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Angell Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Angell family name include Angell, Angel, Angle, Anegall, Anegal, Anegoll and others.

Early Notables of the Angell family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • John Angel or Angell (d. 1655), was 'a Gloucestershire man,' born towards the end of the sixteenth century. "He was admitted to Magdalen Hall, Oxford in 1610 and was ordained in holy orders; at a boun...
  • Thomas Angell (c.1618-1694), was an English settler, one of the four men who wintered with Roger Williams at Seekonk, Plymouth Colony, in early 1636, and then joined him in founding the settlement of...

Angell Ranking

In the United States, the name Angell is the 5,135th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3


Angell migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Angell surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Angell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Angell of England who settled in Rhode Island in 1631
  • William Angell, who landed in Virginia in 1651 4
  • Anthony Angell, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 4
  • William Angell, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 4
  • John Angell, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 4
Angell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mary Angell, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 4
Angell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Richard Angell, who arrived in Mississippi in 1824 4
  • Nelson Angell, who landed in San Francisco, CaI in 1851 4
  • Thomas Angell, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1874 4
  • Ephraim Angell, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1888 4
  • Robert Angell, who landed in Arkansas in 1891 4

Angell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Angell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Samuel Angell who settled in Petty Harbour, Newfoundland in 1725 5

Angell migration to Australia +

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

Angell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Francis Angell, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • William Angell, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7

Angell 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:

Angell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Angell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Joseph Angell, aged 25, a gardener, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 8
  • Mary E. Angell, aged 19, a laundry maid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
  • John Angell, aged 18, a milk carrier, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Edinburgh" in 1873
  • Mary Angell, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lastingham" in 1883
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Angell (post 1700) +

  • Roger Angell (1920-2022), American multiple award winning essayist, best known for his writing on sports, a regular contributor to The New Yorker and was its chief fiction editor for many years
  • Kenneth Anthony Angell (1930-2016), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Burlington (1992–2005)
  • Nicholas "Nick" Angell (b. 1979), American professional ice hockey player
  • Marcia Angell (b. 1939), American physician and author
  • David Angell (1946-2001), American Emmy Award-winning producer of sitcoms, creator of the television series Frasier
  • Carlton W. Angell (1887-1962), American sculptor
  • George Thorndike Angell (1823-1909), American lawyer and philanthropist
  • David Lawrence Angell, American television situation comedy producer
  • Edward Mott Angell (1868-1927), American politician, Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention 33rd District, 1915; Justice of New York Supreme Court 4th District, 1922-27 9
  • Crawford Angell, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1883-84 9
  • ... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Angell 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: Stare super vias antiquas
Motto Translation: I stand in the track of my ancestors.


Suggested Readings for the name Angell +

  • 141 Years of Mormon Heritage: Rawsons, Browns, Angells-Pioneers by Archie Leon Brown and Charlene L. Hathaway.

  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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