Martell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The ancestors of the Martell family migrated to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The surname Martell is based on the popular medieval given name Martin. It derives from the Latin Martinus, which comes from Mars, the Roman God of War.

Early Origins of the Martell family

The surname Martell was first found in Essex where they held a family seat from at Abbess Roding. One of the most famous early references of the surname was William Martel (1130-1153), English steward of the royal households of King Henry I and King Stephen of England, castellan of Sherborne Castle until 1143. Some of the family were found at Whaddon in Buckinghamshire in early times. " A small priory of Benedictine monks, in honour of St. Leonard, was founded in this parish, at Snelleshall, prior to the time of Henry III., by Ralph Martel, and at the Dissolution had a revenue of £24." 1

Early History of the Martell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Martell research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1143, 1153 and 1204 are included under the topic Early Martell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Martell Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Martell include Martel, Mortel, Martell, Mortell and others.

Early Notables of the Martell family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Martell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Martell Ranking

In the United States, the name Martell is the 3,048^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Martell family to Ireland

Some of the Martell 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.

Martell migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Martells to arrive on North American shores:

Martell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

K. Martell, aged 42, settled in Boston in 1823
K. Martell who settled in Boston in 1823
Jom Martell, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1839 3
Philipp Martell, aged 6, who landed in New York, NY in 1894 3
Rosina Martell, aged 8, who arrived in New York, NY in 1894 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Martell migration to Australia +

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

Martell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Stephen Martell, Welsh convict from Pembroke, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 4
Richard Martell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caspar" in 1849 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Martell (post 1700) +

Tony Martell (1926-2016), American music industry senior executive and philanthropist
Raúl Sánchez Díaz Martell (1915-2011), American Governor of Baja California from 1965 to 1971
Herman Martell, former American football player in the National Football League
Linda Martell (b. 1941), American rhythm and blues and country music singer
Kayla Martell (b. 1989), American beauty queen
Tony Martell, veteran American music industry senior executive
Vince Martell (b. 1945), American is best known as the lead guitarist for Vanilla Fudge
Kay Martell, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1948 6
Charles J. Martell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1912 6
Charles Martell, American politician, Representative from Michigan 17th District, 1986 6
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CASPAR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Caspar.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html