Dewal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Family Crest Image (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

The generations and branches of the Dewal family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Dewal comes from the baptismal name Joel. The surname Dewal referred to the son of Joel which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Dewal family

The surname Dewal was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Important Dates for the Dewal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dewal research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1559, 1522 and 1571 are included under the topic Early Dewal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dewal Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Dewal include Jewell, Jewall, Jule, Joel, Jouel and others.

Early Notables of the Dewal family (pre 1700)

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

Migration of the Dewal family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled 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 ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Dewal or a variant listed above: Thomas and Walter Jewell settled in Virginia in 1635; Robert Jewell settled in Virginia in 1637; Thomas Jewell settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635..