Show ContentsHardell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Hardell surname is derived from the Old English words "heorot," which means "hart" and "hyll," meaning hill, and the surname no doubt comes from one of several places so named in England and Scotland. 1

Harthill, in Southern Yorkshire, was given to William de Warrenne in 1086, as part of his reward for his role in the Norman Conquest. There is also a Harthill in Cheshire and Derbyshire. 2

Early Origins of the Hardell family

The surname Hardell was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. One of the first records of the family was Ralph Hardel, who was Lord Mayor of London (1254-1257.)

Another source claims a different forename: "Richard Hardell was joint-sheriff of London and Middlesex: and from 1254 to 1257 Lord Mayor. " 3

"William Hardell was of Kent, and Robert Hardell of Buckinghamshire, in the reign of Ed. I. - Rotuli Hundredorum. At nearly the same date we find in Essex a Sir John Hardel, the husband of Lady Alice Beaumont, who had two daughters and coheirs: Helen, married to Sir William de Hareburgh: and Alice, the wife of William Fitz Warin, then Valectus, or gentleman of the Bedchamber, to Edward I. Robert Hardell occurs in the Norman Exchequer Rolls between 1198 and 1203." 3

Early History of the Hardell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hardell research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1167, 1455, 1487, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Hardell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hardell Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hardell family name include Harthill, Harthull, Hartgill, Hartgull, Harthall, Hartgall, Hartill, Hartull and many more.

Early Notables of the Hardell family

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


United States Hardell migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hardell surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Hardell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Hardell, who landed in Maryland in 1665 4


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
  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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