Nol History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient roots of the Nol family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Nol comes from when the family lived in the area that was referred to as the knoll. This surname was originally derived from the Old English word cnolle which means one who lived at the top of the hill or the summit. [1]

Early Origins of the Nol family

The surname Nol was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Nol family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nol research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1325, 1407, 1514, 1596, 1521, 1399, 1410, 1547, 1632, 1599, 1691, 1588, 1659, 1614, 1621, 1622, 1624, 1626, 1628, 1629, 1599, 1691, 1646, 1668, 1665, 1537, 1550, 1610, 1571 and are included under the topic Early Nol History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nol Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Nol has appeared include Knollys, Knoll, Knolle, Knolles, Knowles, Knowlys and others.

Early Notables of the Nol family (pre 1700)

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Robert Knolles (c. 1325-1407), an important English knight of the Hundred Years' War, operating with the tacit support of the Crown, succeeded in taking the only two major French cities, other than Calais and Poitiers, to fall to Edward III, methods earned him infamy as a freebooter and a ravager, the ruined gables of burned buildings came to be known as "Knolly's mitres" Sir Francis Knollys (1514-1596) was an English statesman, elder son of Robert Knollys (d. 1521.) He claims descent from Sir Thomas Knollys, Lord Mayor of London in 1399 and 1410...
Another 133 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nol Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nol family to Ireland

Some of the Nol family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nol migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Nol arrived in North America very early:

Nol Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Herbert Nol, who landed in New York in 1709 [2]
Leonhard Nol, who landed in America in 1777-1783 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Nol (post 1700) +

Nol de Ruiter (b. 1940), Dutch football coach and former player

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)