Nancekivell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Early Origins of the Nancekivell family

Early History of the Nancekivell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nancekivell research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1495, 1499, 1602 and 1620 are included under the topic Early Nancekivell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nancekivell Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and 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 of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Nankivell, Nankevill, Nankivel, Nanskevell, Nankivel, Nankevell, Nancekievill and many more.

Early Notables of the Nancekivell family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Nankivell of St Mawgan, who was listed as a supporter of Perkin Warbeck in 1495. Warbeck, pretending...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nancekivell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nancekivell family

The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Nancekivell: a church minister of the name Nankivel, who settled in St. Christopher in 1796; George T. Nankivell, who settled in Philadelphia in 1805; John Nankevell, who settled in Baltimore in 1830.