Contents [hide]

Cantwell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Cantwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Cantwell come from when the family resided in Kentwell, in the county of Suffolk. Kentwell dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Kanewella, part of the lands held by Frodo, the Abbot's Brother. "Aelfgar held Kentwell freely under Siward of Maldon as a manor with 2 carucates of land with Soke. There were thereon at that time 7 villans, and afterwards, and now 4 villans." 1 Today, Kentwell Hall is a stately home in Long Melford, Suffolk and is used for numerous film and television productions, However, it does date back to presumably the manor mentioned in the Domesday Book but in a very different form. Kentwell Hall was owned later by Galleus from 1145 to 1148. In the early 13th century, records show that Sir Gilbert de Kentewell held the manor, but by 1252 had been granted by King Henry III to Sir William de Valence.

Early Origins of the Cantwell family

The surname Cantwell was first found in Suffolk where the earliest records were in the year 1273 when Gilbert de Kentwelle was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls. This is presumed to be the senior line of the family name but they held a family seat there from a very early date, probably the 10th century.

Early History of the Cantwell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cantwell research. Another 29 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1319, 1406, 1452 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Cantwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cantwell Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Cantwell has been recorded under many different variations, including Cantwall, Cantwell, Cantwel, Kantwell, Kentwell and many more.

Early Notables of the Cantwell family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Cantwell, Archbishop of Cashel

Cantwell Ranking

In the United States, the name Cantwell is the 4,205^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Cantwell is ranked the 560^th most popular surname with an estimated 82 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Cantwell family to Ireland

Some of the Cantwell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 185 words (13 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cantwell migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Cantwell or a variant listed above:

Cantwell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Cantwell, who settled in Virginia in 1623
Edmd Cantwell, who arrived in Virginia in 1659 4
Ann Cantwell, who landed in Maryland in 1678 4
Mary Cantwell, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1685 4

Cantwell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Cantwell, aged 19, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 4
John Cantwell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1846 4
James Cantwell, who landed in New York, NY in 1849 4
Mrs. W B Cantwell, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Michael Cantwell, who landed in Ohio in 1861 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cantwell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cantwell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Richard Cantwell U.E. who settled in Parr Town [Saint John], New Brunswick c. 1783 5

Cantwell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Jeffery Cantwell, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1833

Cantwell migration to Australia +

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

Cantwell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Cantwell, (b. 1805), aged 21, British Convict who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. James Cantwell, (b. 1814), aged 21, Irish tailor"s boy who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Blackwell" on 29th September 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1861 7
Mr. Pierce Cantwell, (b. 1813), aged 22, Irish coal miner who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for life for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Blackwell" on 29th September 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1878 7
Donna Cantwell, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
James Cantwell, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Utopia"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cantwell migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cantwell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Joseph Cantwell, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 8
Elizabeth Cantwell, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 8
Eliza Cantwell, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 8
Mr. Joshua (Joseph) Cantwell, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th October 1859 9
Miss Eliza Cantwell, (b. 1859), aged Infant, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th October 1859 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cantwell (post 1700) +

Colin Cantwell (1932-2022), American BAFTA Award winning concept artist and director known for his work on WarGames (1983), Star Wars (1977) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Mary Cantwell (1930-2000), American journalist and novelist
Benjamin Caldwell "Ben" Cantwell (1902-1962), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1927 to 1937
Robert Emmett Cantwell (1908-1978), American novelist and critic, best known for his work The Land of Plenty (1934, 1971)
Maria E Cantwell (b. 1958), American politician, Senator from the state of Washington (2001-)
Christian Cantwell (b. 1980), American six-time gold medalist shot putter
John Joseph Cantwell (1874-1947), American clerygman, first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Andrew Cantwell (d. 1764), Irish medical writer, born in Tipperary, and studied medicine in Montpellier, where he graduated in 1729 10
Jonathan Cantwell (1982-2018), Australian professional road bicycle racer
Major General John Patrick Cantwell AO DSC, retired senior Australian Army officer
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackwell
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 31 Oct. 2019