Show ContentsHall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Hall Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Hall

What does the name Hall mean?

The first bearers of the distinguished surname Hall came to England in the great wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is occupational in origin, stemming from the primary activity of the bearer. It is derived from the Old French term "halle," which referred to a large manor house, which indicates that the original bearer of the name worked at the manor of the local Lord in some role such as a servant or chamberlain.

Not all of the family moved to England, as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Serlo de Haula and Robert de Hala of Normandy in 1198. 1

"The principal apartment in all old mansions was the hall, and in feudal times it was a petty court of justice as well as the scene of entertainment. The chief servitor when the lord was resident, or the tenant when he was non-resident, would naturally acquire such a surname; and hence its frequency." 2

Early Origins of the Hall family

The surname Hall was first found in Lincolnshire, England, where the family is directly descended from Earl Fitzwilliam, who held a family seat at Greatford Hall in Lincolnshire after the Norman Conquest. 1

The younger son of this noble house, Arthur FitzWilliam, came to be known as "Hall" so as to distinguish him from his senior brother. Hence, Arthur Hall was the first known bearer of the name, appearing on record around the year 1090. 1

"Two principal areas of greatest frequency: one in the north of England in the counties of Northumberland and Durham, where it attains the greatest relative frequency, extending; however, in moderate numbers across the border into central Scotland; the other in the midland counties, especially in Derbyshire." 3

Warin de Halls was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Essex in 1178, Robert de la Hall in Hampshire in 1199, Alan atte Halle in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296, Robert de Hall in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327, and Richard in the Halle in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. 4

Years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has two listings for the family with the same early spelling: Roger de la Halle, Cambridgeshire; and Walter de la Halle, Salop (Shropshire). Later again, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus atte Hall and Isabella at ye Halle. 5

Early History of the Hall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hall research. Another 260 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1105, 1340, 1436, 1440, 1444, 1446, 1448, 1449, 1479, 1574, 1600, 1610, 1613, 1619, 1620, 1630, 1637, 1651, 1654, 1656, 1660, 1662, 1665, 1667, 1668, 1669, 1676, 1687, 1688, 1690, 1692, 1776 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hall Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hall, Halle, Haule, Haul, Hal, De Aule and others.

Early Notables of the Hall family

  • Joseph Hall (1574-1656), an English bishop, satirist and moralist; George Hall (c.1613-1668), an English Bishop of Chester (1662-1668); Thomas Hall (1610-1665), an English clergyman and ejected minist...

Hall World Ranking

the United States, the name Hall is the 26th most popular surname with an estimated 497,400 people with that name. 6 However, in Canada, the name Hall is ranked the 70th most popular surname with an estimated 33,028 people with that name. 7 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Hall is the 201st popular surname with an estimated 208 people with that name. 8 France ranks Hall as 4,794th with 1,500 - 2,000 people. 9 Australia ranks Hall as 21st with 52,386 people. 10 New Zealand ranks Hall as 67th with 4,911 people. 11 The United Kingdom ranks Hall as 18th with 121,914 people. 12 South Africa ranks Hall as 927th with 7,476 people. 13

Migration of the Hall family to Ireland

Some of the Hall family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hall migration to the United States +



Hall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Miss Susan Hall, who arrived in Virginia in 1618 aboard the ship "William and Thomas" 15
  • Mr. Thomas Hall, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 15
  • Georg Hall, who landed in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship "Supply" 16
  • Hugh Hall, aged 13, who landed in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "Margaret & John" 16
  • Hugh Hall, who landed in Virginia in 1623 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hall Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Anthony Hall, who arrived in Virg,inia in 1701 16
  • Anne Hall, who landed in Virginia in 1702 16
  • Edward Hall, who landed in Virginia in 1705 16
  • Isaac Hall, who landed in New England in 1722 16
  • Egram Hall, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1730
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Adam Hall, who landed in America in 1801 16
  • Aric Hall, whose Oath of Allegiance was recorded in Pennsylvania in 1803
  • Aric Hall, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 16
  • Alexander Hall, who landed in Connecticut in 1811 16
  • Hobert Hall, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hall Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Frederick Hall, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1903 16
  • Charley Fredrick Hall, who landed in Wisconsin in 1912 16

Hall migration to Canada +

Hall Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Conrad Hall, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
  • Abner Hall, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
  • Barnabas Hall, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
  • Christian Henr. Hall, one of the Hessian troops in the American War for Independence who settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1781
  • Mr. Richard Hall U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 268 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York 17
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hall Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Robert Hall, aged 26, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
  • Mary Hall, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
  • Robert Hall, aged 3, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Thomas Hanford" from Cork, Ireland
  • James Hall, aged 25, a merchant, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "John" from Liverpool, England
  • Mary Hall, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the barque "Frederick" from Liverpool, England
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hall migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet, Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet
  • Mr. Stephen Hall, Jr., British settler convicted at Essex, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for breaking and entering, transported aboard the ship "Neptune, Scarborough or Surprize" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 14
Second Fleet
  • Mr. George Hall, British settler convicted in Kent, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "William and Ann" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 15
  • Mr. James Hall, British settler convicted in Yorkshire, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for breaking and entry, transported aboard the ship "Third Fleet" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 15
  • Mr. Joseph Hall, British settler convicted in Bedfordshrie, England in 1789, sentenced to Life for stealing a horse, transported aboard the ship "Matilda" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 15
  • Mr. John Hall, (d. 1791), British settler convicted in London, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Active" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 15
Third Fleet
  • Mr. Samuel Hall, British convict sentenced in London 21st April 1784, for 7 years for stealing, was due to be transported on the "Alexander" but was pardoned and served in the Navy 15
  • Mr. Joseph Hall, (b. 1753), aged 34, English settler convicted in London on 9th January 1782, sentenced for 14 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the ship "Charlotte" leaving on 13th May 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 22nd January 1788 15
  • Mr. John Hall, (b. 1757), aged 30, English settler convicted in Exeter, Devon on 24th May 1784, sentenced for 7 years for returning from transport, transported aboard the ship "Charlotte" leaving on 13th May 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 22nd January 1788 15
  • Miss Margaret Hall, (1765 - 1807), aged 17, English settler convicted in London on 4th December 1782, sentenced for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 15
  • Miss Sarah Hall, (b. 1740), aged 47, English settler convicted in London on 10th January 1787, sentenced for 7 years for stealing clothing, transported aboard the ship "Lady Penrhyn" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 15
Following the First, Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Hall Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Miss Ann Hall, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years , transported aboard the "Britannia III" on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 18
Hall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Hall 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:

Hall Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Hall, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Robert Hall, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Henry Hall, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • John Hall, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • John Hall, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hall migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 22
Hall Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Hall, (b. 1610), aged 25, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 23
  • Mr. John Hall, (b. 1606), aged 29, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 24
  • Ann Hall, who settled in Barbados in 1660

Contemporary Notables of the name Hall (post 1700) +

  • Lyman Hall (1724-1790), American physician, clergyman, and statesman, signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, Governor of Georgia (1783-1784)
  • Annie Josephine Hall (1865-1920), better known by the stage names Josephine Hall and Josie Hall, an American actress and soprano, most famous for her performances of the song "Sister Mary Jane's Top Note" that she purposefully sang high and off-key and for her appearances in the Broadway productions of The Girl from Paris (1896) and The Girl from Maxim's (1899)
  • Cecil P. "Buddy" Hall (1945-2025), American professional pool player, considered one of the best nine-ball players of all time, the International Pool Tour heralds Hall as a "living pool legend"
  • Charles Kenneth Hall (1935-2025), nicknamed "Sugar Land Express", American professional football player in the Canadian Football League (1957-1958), National Football League (1958-1961), playing for Edmonton Eskimos, Baltimore Colts, Chicago Cardinals, Houston Oilers and St. Louis Cardinals
  • Todrick Hall (b. 1985), American singer, rapper, choreographer, and YouTuber
  • Richard Wallace "Dick" Hall (1930-2023), American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played from 1952 through 1957 and from 1959 through 1971
  • Adrian Hall (1927-2023), American theater director, founding Artistic Director of the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island from 1963 to 1986, and the Artistic Director of Dallas Theater Center in Dallas, Texas from 1983 to 1989
  • Harriet A. Hall (1945-2023), American family physician, U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, author, science communicator and skeptic who often used the pseudonym "The SkepDoc"
  • Gwendolyn Midlo Hall (1929-2022), American historian from New Orleans, Louisiana who focused on the history of slavery in the Caribbean, Latin America, Louisiana, Africa, and the African Diaspora in the Americas
  • ... (Another 76 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bradford City stadium fire
  • Norman Hall (1915-1985), from Bradford who attended the Bradford City and Lincoln City Third Division match on 11th May 1985 when the Bradford City stadium fire occurred and he died in the fire
  • Harry Royston Hall (d. 1943), Australian Fourth Engineer who died aboard the ship "Centaur" an Australian hospital ship when torpedoed on 14th May 1943
  • Mr. Henry Hall (d. 1914), Canadian Third Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 25
  • Mr. Harry S. Hall, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he died 26
  • Mrs. Mary  Hall (1870-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 27
  • ... (Another 52 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Suggested Readings for the name Hall +

  • An Alabama Newspaper Tradition: Grover C. Hall and the Hall Family by Daniel Webster Hollis.
  • A Givens-Hall Family History from Pre-Revolutionary Times to 1970; Including Many Related Families Such as Alexander, Bowman, Black, Chapman, French, Green, Johnston, Phlegar, Ross, Snidow, Stafford, Welker and Others by Dorothy Hall Givens.
  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  8. 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)
  9. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  10. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  11. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  12. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  13. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  14. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  15. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  16. 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)
  17. 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
  18. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Britannia
  19. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  20. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  21. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  23. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  24. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  25. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  26. California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
  27. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance

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