Keppel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The name Keppel was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Keppel family lived in Herefordshire. The name refers to the family's former residence in La Chapelle, Normandy.

Early Origins of the Keppel family

The surname Keppel was first found in Herefordshire where another source claims that name was derived from "the ancestor of Lord Albemarle [who] was Arnord-Joost van Keppel, lord of Voerst, a descendant of one of the most ancient houses in Guerlderland, [Holland] who accompanied King WIlliam III to England in 1688, and was by him advanced to the title still enjoyed by the family. According to 'Folks of Shields,' the name is equivalent to De Capella." 1

Early History of the Keppel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keppel research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1496, 1503, 1511, 1515, 1585, 1586, 1608, 1631, 1638, 1649, 1656, 1658, 1683, 1696, 1697, 1722, 1739 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Keppel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keppel Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Capel, Capell, Caple, Cappel, Keppel and others.

Early Notables of the Keppel family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Capel (d. 1515), Sheriff of the City of London (1496), and Lord Mayor of London (1503), Member of Parliament for the City of London (1511-1515), his mansion stood on the current site of the London Stock Exchange, eponym of No. 3 Capel Court; Sir Henry Capell, of Rayne Hall, Essex; Louis Cappel (1585-1658), a French Protestant churchman and scholar; Richard Capel (1586-1656), an English nonconforming clergyman of Calvinist views, member of the Westminster Assembly, and for a period of his life...
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Keppel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Keppel family to Ireland

Some of the Keppel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keppel migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Keppel or a variant listed above:

Keppel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Jacob Keppel, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1819 2
Teunis Jan Keppel, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1846 2
Neeltje Keppel, aged 12, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
Adriaantje VanRaalte Keppel, aged 45, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
Bastiaantje Keppel, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Keppel 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:

Keppel Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Keppel, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 21st May 1841 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Keppel (post 1700) +

V. S. Keppel, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1912; Member of Wisconsin State Senate, 1925-31 4
Samuel B. Keppel, American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Berks County, 1891-94 4
Henry Keppel, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1908. Entombed at Pine Grove Cemetery, Corry, Pennsylvania 4
Godfrey Keppel Papillon (1867-1942), English cricketer who played for Northamptonshire (1901-1903)
Sir Keppel Archibald Cameron Creswell CBE FBA (b. 1879), English architectural historian
Keppel Enderby "Kep" Enderby QC (b. 1926), Australian esperantist and former leading Australian politician

The Keppel Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fide et fortitudine
Motto Translation: By fidelity and fortitude.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html