Gail History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The origins of the Gail surname date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It comes from an early member of the family who was a person who was known for their cheerful personality and their jovial disposition. The surname Gail was originally derived form the Old English word gal, which described a person as being pleasant and merry. 1

Early Origins of the Gail family

The surname Gail was first found in Yorkshire where the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Johanna del Gaylle; Agnes del Gaylle; Johannes del Gayle; and Willelmus Gayle as all holding lands there at that time. 2

One source claims the name is a "Scottish Highlander," 3 and in Scotland, "strangers to the Gadhelic people were called Gall, and this gave rise to surnames such as Gauld, Gall, and the Lowland Galt. Gall in the common speech was pronounced 'Gaw.' A rather common surname in Perth and especially in the Muirton of Balhousie during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. John Gal was witness to a grant to the Blackfriars of Perth in 1334." 4

Early History of the Gail family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gail research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1534, 1546, 1596, 1597, 1628, 1635, 1647, 1660, 1670, 1671, 1678, 1680, 1701, 1702, 1721 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Gail History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gail Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Gail has been spelled many different ways, including Gale, Gail, Gaile, Gales and others.

Early Notables of the Gail family

Notables of the family at this time include George Gale, Mayor of York; Dunstan Gale (fl. 1596), an English poet, author of a poem entitled 'Pyramus and Thisbe,' supposed to have been printed for the first time in 1597. 5Theophilus Gale (1628-1678), was an English educationalist, nonconformist and theologian of dissent from Kingsteignton, Devon; Thomas Gale (1635?-1702), an English classical scholar, antiquarian and cleric from Scruton, Yorkshire; Mildred Gale (1671-1701), born Mildred Warner in the Colony of Virginia, paternal grandmother of President George Washington; and John Gale (1680-1721), an English Baptist theologian; and his son...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gail Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gail migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Gails to arrive in North America:

Gail Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Georg Ludwig Gail, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1781 6

Gail Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jonas Gail, who landed in America in 1857 6

Gail Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Georg Gail, aged 36, who landed in America in 1900 6

Gail migration to Australia +

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

Gail Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Gail, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1848 7
Richard Gail, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Gail (post 1700) +

David Gilbert Gail (1965-2024), American television actor who is known from Beverly Hills 90210 (1999-2000), Murder, She Wrote (1993), ER (2022)
William H. Gail, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 1st District, 1950 9
Maxwell T. Gail, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 18th District, 1960 9
Oprah Gail Winfrey (b. 1954), American multiple-Emmy Award winning host of The Oprah Winfrey Show
Samantha Gail Weinstein (1995-2023), Canadian actress from Toronto, Ontario
Marcia Gail Cooke (1954-2023), American lawyer and jurist, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (2022-2023)
Kenneth Gail Wannberg (1930-2022), American Emmy Award winning composer and sound editor who worked extensively with the composer John Williams on some of the biggest box office films of all time including Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, JFK, Schindler’s List, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Lauren Gail Berlant (1957-2021), American scholar, cultural theorist, and author, George M. Pullman Distinguished Service Professor of English at the University of Chicago
Ramona Gail Phillips (1944-2021), née McIver, an American politician, 17th Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives (1995-1999)
Adelaide Gail Zappa (1945-2015), née Sloatman, American widow of musician and composer Frank Zappa, mother of Moon Zappa

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BABOO 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Baboo.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) TRAFALGAR 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Trafalgar-March.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html