Hazell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Hazell is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hazell family lived in Devon. This name however, is a topographical reference indicating that the original bearer lived in close proximity to a hazel tree or grove. 1

Early Origins of the Hazell family

The surname Hazell was first found in Devon at Halsewell. This parish "was possessed by the family surnamed from it De Halsewell, almost from the period of the Conquest, and it still belongs to their descendant, Colonel Kemeys-Tynte, whose ancestor married the heiress in the XVII. century." 2 They were descended from Halsewell or De Halsewell from Normandy. 3

In turn, the name evolved into the shortened forms including Hazel, Hazell, Hasel, Hasell, Haisell and others and spread throughout ancient Britain. By example, Alured del Hesel was listed in Worcester c. 1182, Gamel Hesel listed in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1203, and Hugh de Hesill in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1204. 4

Early History of the Hazell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hazell research. Another 213 words (15 lines of text) covering the year 1628 is included under the topic Early Hazell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hazell Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Halsewell, Halswell, Harsewell, Harswell, Hazel, Hazell, Hassal, Hassel, Hassall and many more.

Early Notables of the Hazell family

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

Hazell migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Hazell or a variant listed above:

Hazell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lydia Hazell, aged 20, who landed in New York in 1862 5

Hazell migration to Australia +

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

Hazell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Hazell, English convict who was convicted in Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Sizer Hazell, British convict who was convicted in Suffolk, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. William Hazell, English convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for life, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. James Hazell, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Robert Hazell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Himalaya" in 1849 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hazell 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. 11

Hazell Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Toby Hazell, who settled in Barbados in 1635
Toby Hazell, aged 20, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 aboard the ship "Falcon" 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Hazell (post 1700) +

William C. Hazell, American politician, Postmaster at Middletown, Delaware, 1821 12
James E. Hazell, American politician, Member of Missouri State Senate 14th District, 1887-90 12
Benjamin A. Hazell, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Delaware State House of Representatives from Kent County, 1897-98; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1916 12
Darrell Hazell, American college football coach
Alfredo Helsby Hazell (1862-1933), Chilean landscape painter of English ancestry
Danielle Hazell (b. 1988), English cricketer
Tony Hazell (b. 1947), English former footballer
Andy Hazell (b. 1978), English rugby union player
Reuben Daniel Hazell (b. 1979), English football defender
Thomas Falcon Hazell DSO, MC, DFC & Bar (1892-1946), British fighter pilot with the Royal Flying Corps who had 43 aerial victories between 1917 and 1918
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HIMALAYA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Himalaya.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html