Show ContentsAverill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Averill was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Averill family lived the Old French word Avril, meaning April. The name would have initially been given to a child born in the month of April.

Early Origins of the Averill family

The surname Averill was first found in Gloucestershire where they were granted lands by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. They were conjecturally descended from a Norman noble, Avril, who landed with William the Conqueror.

Early History of the Averill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Averill research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1559, 1601, 1614, 1618, 1619, 1666, 1754, 1755, 1771 and 1847 are included under the topic Early Averill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Averill Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Averell, Averall, Avrill, Avril, Averel, Abrill and many more.

Early Notables of the Averill family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Averill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Averill Ranking

In the United States, the name Averill is the 6,990th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Averill family to Ireland

Some of the Averill family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Averill migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Averill or a variant listed above:

Averill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • A. H. William Averill, who settled in San Francisco, California in 1852

Contemporary Notables of the name Averill (post 1700) +

  • Howard Earl Averill (1902-1983), American Major League Baseball center fielder who played from 1929 to 1941, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975, father of Earl Douglas Averill
  • Earl Douglas Averill Jr. (1931-2015), American professional Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1956 to 1963
  • Thomas Fox Averill (b. 1949), American writer, novelist, and academic from Topeka, Kansas
  • John Thomas Averill (1825-1889), American military officer and politician, US Representative from Minnesota
  • Leslie Cecil Lloyd Averill (1897-1981), New Zealand soldier, doctor, medical administrator, and community leader
  • Ivan Averill Cooper (1944-2019), Northern Ireland politician who was a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland
  • Averill Ann Curdy, American poet, and academic, recipient of the 2007 Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
  • Mrs. Averill Beavers, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 1924 2

St. Francis Dam
  • Mr. Eugene Wilberforce Averill, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
  • Mae Averill, American resident in Santa Clarita who survived when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
  • Stephen Averill, American resident in Santa Clarita who survived when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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