Show ContentsGorrell Surname History

  • Origins Available:
  • Scotland
Extended Surname History Download (PDF) - Letter Size

Extended Surname History Download (PDF) - Letter Size

Etymology of Gorrell

What does the name Gorrell mean?

On the Scottish west coast, the Gorrell family was born among the ancient Dalriadan clans. Their name comes from the personal name Goraidh, an Old Norse forename. The Gaelic form of the name was Mac Goraidh, which means son of Goraidh. or son of Godfrey.

Early Origins of the Gorrell family

The surname Gorrell was first found in on the Isle of Skye, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Gorrell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gorrell research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1380 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Gorrell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gorrell Spelling Variations

In various documents Gorrell has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. MacGorrie, MacGorry, MacGory, MacGorey and others.

Early Notables of the Gorrell family

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

Gorrell Ranking

the United States, the name Gorrell is the 10,626th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Gorrell migration to the United States +

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Gorrell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Gorrell, aged 39, who landed in New York in 1812 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Gorrell (post 1700) +

  • Mrs. William E. Gorrell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1964 3
  • Theodore M. Gorrell, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Wheeling, West Virginia, 1864-65; Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Ohio County, 1865 4
  • Robert W. Gorrell, American politician, Mayor of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1917-21 4
  • R. A. Gorrell, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Pleasants County, 1899-1900 4
  • Oliver Gorrell, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Pleasants County, 1883-84, 1887-88 4
  • Herbert L. Gorrell, American politician, Representative from Illinois 10th District, 1990 4
  • Henry N. Gorrell (b. 1893), American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Morgan County, 1941-42 4
  • Harry H. Gorrell, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Jackson County, 1970 4
  • Frank Gorrell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 1980 4
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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