Show ContentsEnkel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Enkel surname is an English name with Norse roots, deriving from either of two Old Norse personal names "Ingjaldr," or from "Ingólfr" ‘Ing's wolf’ (Ing was an ancient Germanic fertility god). Some instances of this name in Britain are thought to have evolved from the place name Ingol, in Lancashire, which is named from the Old English personal name Inga with the Old English word "holh," meaning a "hollow," or "depression." Another source claims the name was derived from "a Scandinavian personal name, retained in the designations of Ingleby, Inglesham, Ingleton, Ingoldsthorpe, Ingoldsby, and other parishes and places, lying chiefly in what are called the Danish counties. The Domesday form is Ingaldus. " 1

Early Origins of the Enkel family

The surname Enkel was first found in Suffolk at Bury St. Edmunds where Ingold was recorded c. 1095. The Latin form Ingoldus was recorded in Huntingdonshire (1114-1130.) 2

Early Somerset or Huntingdonshire was where some the first recordings of the family were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, specifically Edmund Ingold, in Somerset and Cecilia de Ingolde in Huntingdonshire. 3

The Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379 included entries for Alicia Ingle; Johannes Ingill; Robertus Ingill; Willelmus Ingill; and Agnes Ingilson. 3

Early History of the Enkel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Enkel research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Enkel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Enkel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Enkel has been spelled Ingle, Ingall, Ingalls, Ingal, Ingals, Ingull, Ingulls, Inggall, Inggalls, Ingold, Ingolds, Ingles, Ingoll, Ingolls, Ingill and many more.

Early Notables of the Enkel family

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


Enkel migration to the United States +

Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Enkel:

Enkel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Casper enkel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1795 4
Enkel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Johann Enkel, aged 4, who arrived in America in 1885 4


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  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)


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