Darrell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Darrell

What does the name Darrell mean?

The name Darrell reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Darrell family lived in Buckinghamshire. They were originally from Airel, in La Manche, Normandy, and it is from the local form of this name, D'Airel, meaning from Airel, that their name derives.

"William de Orrell, a gentleman of the north parts of Normandie, soe called of a castle and family of that countrie, the which came in with the Conqueror, being for his good services done in he North... endowed with the possessions of a Saxon called Etheldred of Broadsworth, an ancient seat twelve miles west of Yorke." Such is the statement attached to an old pedigree quoted in Burke's Commoners. 1

Early Origins of the Darrell family

The surname Darrell was first found in Buckinghamshire where this ancient and noble family of Norman descent came over with the Conqueror and seated themselves at Lillingstone before the year 1200.

"The descendants of this Norman knight established themselves over various counties, and for centuries flourished in all: the principal were those of Calehill and Scotney, in Kent; of Sesay, in Yorkshire; of Littlecote, in Wiltshire; of Pageham, in Sussex; of Trewornan, in Cornwall; of Lillingston Dayrell, Bucks; and of Shudy Camps, in Cambridgeshire. A curious trial is on record with reference to the Littlecote branch. Its chief was arraigned for the murder of an infant child, on the evidence of the midwife, who detailed, with most circumstantial minuteness; her journey, blindfolded, to a residence which she supposed to be the ancient manor-house of Littlecote, her presence at the birth of a male child, and her belief, founded on many circumstances she narrated, that the infant was burnt to death. On cross-examination, however, her evidence broke down, and Dayrell was acquitted." 2

"Richard son of Elais Dayrell being seised of a messuage and half of knight's fee there in King Richard the First's time, or the beginning of King John's reign. Before 1306 the Dayrells became possessed of the fee of the manor, which has ever since continued in the family." 3

The Dyarells of Shudy Camps in Cambridgeshire are a younger branch of the family descending from the second son of Paul Dayrell of Lillinstone, Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 1579. The parish of Horkstow in Lincolnshire "contains a family vault for the Darells, formerly owners of property in the parish." 4

The Curia Regis Rolls of Yorkshire included a listing for Thomas de Arel in 1166 and later the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire listed Marmaduc Darel in 1182. Early Manx records listed Ralph Darel(l), Dairel(l) there in 1204-1205 and Henry de Ayrel or Dayrel was found in the Feet of Fines for Berkshire in 1235. 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Henry Dayrel, Buckinghamshire; Ralph Dayrel, Buckinghamshire; and Isabella Darel, Yorkshire. 6

Early History of the Darrell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Darrell research. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1415, 1450, 1465, 1491, 1513, 1529, 1530, 1539, 1556, 1560, 1563, 1572, 1589, 1651, 1721 and 1845 are included under the topic Early Darrell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Darrell Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Darrell family name include Darrell, Dorrell, Dayrell, Darrel, Darell, Darel and others.

Early Notables of the Darrell family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Elizabeth Darrell, the first wife of John Seymour (c. 1450-1491), and paternal grandmother of Queen Jane Seymour
Sir Edward Darrell (c. 1465-1530), of Littlecote, Wiltshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Wiltshire in 1529
Elizabeth Darrell (born c. 1513-c. 1556 ), the long-term mistress and muse of Sir Thomas Wyatt, they had one surviving child
William Darrell (1539-1589) of Littlecote House, Wiltshire, later of Warwick Lane, London, an English Member of Parliament for Downton in 1572
William Darrell (1651-1721), an English Jesuit theologian and writer

Darrell Ranking

In the United States, the name Darrell is the 13,088^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Darrell migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Darrell family to immigrate North America:

Darrell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Darrell, who arrived in Maryland in 1634 8
Mr. John Darrell, British settler from Great Yarmouth, England departing May 1637 from England aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 20 June 1637, heading to New England 9
William Darrell, who settled in Virginia in 1643
John Darrell, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1643 8
Moses and Mary Darrell, who settled in Virginia in 1654

Darrell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Darrell, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 8
Nathl Darrell, who landed in Virginia in 1714 8
Johan Christoph Darrell, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 8

Darrell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Darrell, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Darrell (post 1700) +

Johnny Darrell (1940-1997), American country music artist
Dimebag Darrell (1966-2004), stage name of Darrell Lance Abbott, an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of two bands, Pantera and Damageplan
Katrina Darrell (b. 1987), nicknamed "Bikini Girl", an American singer and model
Michael Alan "Mick or Mike" Darrell (b. 1947), English former professional footballer who made more than 100 appearances from 1965 to 1974
Steven "Steve" Darrell (1904-1970), born Darryl Eugene Horsfall, an American actor, perhaps best known for his role as the wise Comanche chief Little Elk in the 1958 episode "Renegades" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western television series, Cheyenne
Seion Darrell (b. 1986), Bermudian soccer player
Gary Darrell (b. 1947), retired Bermudian association football player who played from 1963 to 1980, member of the Bermuda National Team (1967-1973), manager of the Bermuda Team in 1992
Clipper Darrell, nickname of Darrell Bailey, a superfan of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association and season ticket holder since the 2000-01 season
Shawn Darrell Jeter (b. 1966), American former Major League Baseball outfielder, son of the Major League Baseball outfielder Johnny Jeter
Allen Darrell McKnight (b. 1964), Northern Irish former international footballer

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
"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)
Passengers of the Mary Anne of Yarmouth (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/MaryAnne.html