Bell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland/England
England
France
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Bell

What does the name Bell mean?

The Bell surname arose independently from several different sources. In some instances, it comes from the Old English word "belle" meaning "bell," and was most likely an occupational name for a bell ringer. It may have also been a name for someone who lived near a bell. Bell is also known to have arisen from the English and Scottish given name Bel, which derived from the Old French "beu" or "bel," meaning "handsome." 1

"From Le Bel, a surname which frequently occurs in Normandy." 2

Early Origins of the Bell family

The surname Bell was first found in Dumfriesshire. "John Bell appears as a notary in St. Andrews, 1248. A family of the name appears to have been hereditarily connected with the church of Dunkeld. Master David Bell was a canon there, 1263, and William Bell appears as dean, 1329-42. William Bel, vicar of Lamberton, witnessed a charter to Coldingham Priory, 1271." 3

At one time, the Clan Bell was well known on the Scottish West March of the Scottish and English borders. But in 1587, the Parliament of Scotland passed a statute: "For the quieting and keping in obiedince of the disorderit subjectis inhabitantis of the borders hielands and Ilis." This statute disolved the Clan status. 4

Early references to the name in England include Ailuuardus filius Bell listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 in Suffolk; Hugo Bel who was in Winton, Hampshire in 1148; Serlo Belle listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1190; as well as Roger del Bel, who was in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk of 1209. 5

Robert le Bell was Mayor of Bristol in 1239. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had many entries for the name typically with the Old French spelling: Nicholas filius Bele in Bedfordshire; Ralph le Bele in Cambridgeshire; and Hugh le Bel, in Oxfordshire; Thomas le Bel in Suffolk. 6

Early History of the Bell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bell research. Another 268 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1069, 1340, 1350, 1463, 1528, 1562, 1577, 1587, 1590, 1603, 1607, 1618, 1640, 1647, 1648, 1668, 1711, 1890 and 1896 are included under the topic Early Bell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bell Spelling Variations

The name, Bell, occurred in many references, and from time to time, it was spelt Bell, Belle and others.

Early Notables of the Bell family

The Blessed Arthur Bell (1590-1618), also known as Francis Bell, who was a Franciscan and English martyr
Sir Robert Bell (d. 1577) of Beaupre Hall, Norfolk, Speaker of the House of Commons
William Bell (died ca. 1668), an English apothecary and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1648
Sir Edmond Bell Of Castle Acre and Beaupre Hall, Norfolk (1562-1607), Justice of the Peace, Norfolk
Henry Bell (1647-1711), an English architect who designed many buildings in West Norfolk

Bell World Ranking

the United Kingdom, the name Bell is the 48^th most popular surname with an estimated 83,942 people with that name. 7 However, in Australia, the name Bell is ranked the 41^st most popular surname with an estimated 42,630 people with that name. 8 And in New Zealand, the name Bell is the 58^th popular surname with an estimated 5,090 people with that name. 9 Canada ranks Bell as 78^th with 31,373 people. 10 The United States ranks Bell as 58^th with 290,979 people. 11 South Africa ranks Bell as 920^th with 7,585 people. 12

Migration of the Bell family to Ireland

Some of the Bell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bell migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet, Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet

Mr. Adam Bell, (1731 - 1790), aged 58, British settler convicted in Yorkshire, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Neptune" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790, may have died on the ship 13
Mr. John Bell, (1768 - 1790), aged 21, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Neptune" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790, may have died on the ship 14

Second Fleet

Mr. Adam Bell, British settler convicted in London, England in 1787, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Matilda" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 14

Third Fleet

Mr. William Bell, (b. 1760), aged 27, English settler convicted in London on 14th January 1784, sentenced for 7 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the ship "Scarborough" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 14
Mr. Jonathon Bell, British seaman on the Navy support ship for the First Fleet the "HMS Sirius" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788

Following the First, Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Bell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Bell, (Porter, William, Dalton), English waterman who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for theft, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1851 14
Mr. Henry Bell, English convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Mr. John Bell, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Miss Ann Bell, (Eliza), (b. 1784), aged 33, Irish needle woman who was convicted in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 21st March 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia then transported on to Tasmania per "Elizabeth Henrietta" 16
Mr. Charles Bell, British Convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 17
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bell 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:

Bell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Bell, who landed in Island of Mana, New Zealand in 1832 aboard the ship Minerva
George Bell, who landed in Dundee, New Zealand in 1832
F Dillon Bell, who landed in Wellington & Nelson, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Ursula
H Gordon Bell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Lady Lilford
James Bell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bell migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18

Bell Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. James Bell, (b. 1616), aged 19, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 19
Mr. Thomas Bell, (b. 1621), aged 14, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 20
Alison Bell, who settled in Barbados in 1670
Robert Bell, who settled in Barbados in 1679

Bell migration to Canada +

Bell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Ann Bell, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Elizabeth Bell, who settled in Nova Scotia in 1765
Robert Bell, who was a laborer in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1779 21
Mr. Derick Bell U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 22
Mr. Duncan Bell U.E. who settled in Fredericksburgh, Cataraqui township, [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1783 22
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Andrew Bell, who landed in Canada in 1819
John Bell, aged 20, a tailor, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the schooner "Sarah" from Belfast, Ireland
Thomas Bell, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Bartley" in 1833
Agnes Bell, aged 55, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Pacific" from Liverpool, England
James Bell, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Neptune" in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bell migration to the United States +

Bell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. John Bell, (b. 1605), aged 30, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Safety" arriving in Virginia in 1635 23
George Bell, who settled in Virginia in 1638
John Bell who settled in Virginia in 1638
Christian Bell, who landed in Virginia in 1650 24
Alexander Bell who settled in Virginia in 1654
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johann Frederich Bell, British settler who arrived in New York in 1709 with wife Anna Maria and 4 children
Anne Bell, who landed in Virginia in 1713 24
Chr Bell, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 24
Christopher Bell, who arrived in Virginia in 1716 24
Aaron Bell, who arrived in New England in 1719 24
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Agnus Bell, who settled in Philadelphia in 1802
David Bell, Irish settler who arrived in New Jersey aboard the ship "Protection" in 1811 25
Margaret Bell, Irish settler who arrived in New Jersey aboard the ship "Protection" in 1811 25
James Bell, Irish settler who arrived in New Jersey aboard the ship "Protection" in 1811 25
Abraham Bell, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 24
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bell (post 1700) +

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), Scottish inventor of the telephone, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, emigrated to the United States in 1870, where he was a Professor of Physiology at Boston University, and exhibited his telephone invention in 1870
Julian Heward Bell (1908-1937), English poet, and the son of Clive and Vanessa Bell
Colin Bell MBE (1946-2021), English footballer, known for his stint at Manchester City, where he was nicknamed "The King of the Kippax"
Trevor Bell (1930-2017), English artist and contemporary visual artist from Leeds
Melissa Cecelia Ewen Bell (1964-2017), English lead singer of Grammy winning R&B act Soul II Soul
Arthur Clive Howard Bell (1881-1964), English critic of art and literature
Graham Arthur Charlton Bell (b. 1949), English academic, writer, and evolutionary biologist
Robert Anning Bell (1863-1933), English painter
Sir Isaac Lowthian Bell (1816-1904), English industrialist and metallurgist
... (Another 380 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Bell family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Robert William Bell (d. 1914), British Deck Boy from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 26
Mr. Dan Bell (d. 1914), American Third Class Passenger from Detroit, Michigan, United States who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 27
Mr. Frank W. Bell, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he died 28
Mr. John Francis Bell (1854-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 29
Master Stanley Bell (1912-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 30
... (Another 28 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Fraser, George MacDonald, The Steel Bonnets: The Story of the Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers HarperCollins Publishers, 1972: Print. (ISBN13: 9780002727464)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)
Passengers from Ireland retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Passengers From Ireland arriving at American ports between 1811 and 1817 ISBN 0-8063-0870-2
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance