Cavill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. The Cavill history starts with such a migration. As the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames refers either directly or indirectly to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, physical appearance, habits, or character, among other attributes. Flemish names of this type frequently feature the prefixes lile, which meant the. The surname Cavill is a nickname for a bald person. The surname Cavill is a diminutive of the Old French words chauf and cauf, which mean bald. 1

Early Origins of the Cavill family

The surname Cavill was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat from about the year 1200, being originally from Cavell in Flanders.

Portingten, with Cavil is a township, in the parish of Eastrington, union of Howden, wapentake of Howdenshire. "Thence the name easily crossed over into Lincolnshire In some cases it may be represented by some more southern locality." Indeed, following this direction, the Hundredorum Rolls of 12763 list Robert de Cavilla in Lincolnshire. 2 However, the Pipe Rolls of 1190 and 1195 list Roger Caluel, Chauuel in Kent at that time. 1

In Somerset, Walter Cavel was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 3 John Cavel, was rector of Sizeland, Norfolk 4

Returning to the original Cornish listing, we found "the manor of Treharrick [in the parish of St. Kew] belonged to a family of that name long before the Reformation; but in the days of Henry VII. it was carried in marriage to the Cavells. From this family it passed by an heiress, about the commencement of the last century, to Thomas Vivian, Esq. of Trenowth." 5

Early History of the Cavill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cavill research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cavill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cavill Spelling Variations

Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Cavell, Cavill, Cavil, Cavyl, Cavel, Cavall and others.

Early Notables of the Cavill family

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

Cavill migration to the United States +

Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Cavill family to immigrate North America:

Cavill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Cavill, aged 38, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1813 6
Michael, Francis and William Cavill, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1856
Mr. William Cavill, (b. 1873), aged 19, Cornish rope maker travelling aboard the ship "Majestic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 28th January 1892 en route to Havana, Florida, USA 7

Cavill migration to Australia +

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

Cavill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Albert Cavill, (b. 1820), aged 30, Cornish miner, from Truro, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Emily" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th September 1850 8
Mrs. Harriet Cavill, (b. 1825), aged 25, Cornish settler, from Newland, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Emily" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th September 1850 8
Miss Cecilia Cavill, (b. 1848), aged 2, Cornish settler, from Newland, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Emily" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th September 1850 8
Miss Cavill, (b. 1850), aged Infant, Cornish settler born aboard the ship "Emily" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th September 1850 8
Mr. Richard Cavill, (b. 1868), aged 23, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Roma" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 22nd December 1891 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Cavill (post 1700) +

Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill (1983-2013), British actor, known for his work on the Showtime series The Tudors and as the lead role in Man of Steel (2013-2022) and the Enola Holmes Netflix series
Sydney "Sid" Cavill (b. 1945), Australian swimmer, part of the Cavill Family, credited with the originating the butterfly stroke
Arthur Cavill (1877-1914), Australian swimmer, part of the Cavill Family, credited with originating the Australian crawl stroke
Joy Cavill (1923-1990), Australian writer and producer
James Freeman "Jim" Cavill (1862-1952), Australian hotelier from Brisbane, one of the pioneers of the Gold Coast, Australia

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
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 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_1850_59.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf