Show ContentsMinshil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Minshil

What does the name Minshil mean?

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Minshil is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in the parish of Minshull, which was located five miles from Nantwich in the county of Cheshire. This parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was known as Maneshale. 1

The place name literally means "shelf or shelving terrain of a man called Monn", from the Old English personal name + "scelf." The "church" prefix as in "Church Minshull" was originally "cirice," in Old English. 2

Early Origins of the Minshil family

The surname Minshil was first found in Cheshire at Minshull Vernon. "The manor belonged anciently to the Vernons, from whom it passed to the family of Aldeton, sometimes called Oldington and Oulton; it was subsequently divided among the Starkies, Newtons, and Minshulls." 3

Later some of the family were found at Alsager, again in Cheshire. "The manor [of Alsager] was at an early period in the possession of the Vernon family, and subsequently in that of the family of Minshull." 3

Early History of the Minshil family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Minshil research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1359, 1560, 1594, 1608, 1611, 1612, 1617, 1618, 1627, 1638, 1643, 1662, 1668, 1674, 1686, 1728 and 1821 are included under the topic Early Minshil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Minshil Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Minshil has been spelled many different ways, including Minshull, Minshall, Minshaw, Mynshawe, Mynshewe and many more.

Early Notables of the Minshil family

Notables of the family at this time include Richard Minshull or Minshall (died 1686), an English academic, Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge (1643-1686); and John Minsheu (or Minshew) (1560-1627), English lexicographer who taught languages in London, his dictionary "Guide to Tongues" provides equivalents of eleven languages and is a valuable reference for the study of Elizabethan English. Elizabeth Mynshull (1638-1728), the niece of Thomas Mynshull, a wealthy apothecary and philanthropist in Manchester married John Milton (1608-1674), the famous English poet and man of letters on 24 February 1662. She would be his third and final wife despite she being 31...
Another 187 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Minshil Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Minshil family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Minshils to arrive in North America: Thomas Minshall and his wife Margaret who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682; John Minshall who settled in Philadelphia in 1823 and Richard Minshall who settled in Maryland in 1680..



  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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