Vital History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Spain
• Ireland

Etymology of Vital

This noble family claim descent from the Normans, specifically from the Latin name Vitalis, which is derived from the Old French names Vitel, Viel, the name of some ten saints (Latin vitalis 'pertaining to life, vital'), and became common in England after the Conquest both in its learned form Vitalis and in the northern French form Viel. The absence of early forms of Vidal suggests that this was a later immigrant from Languedoc. Viel also survives as Veal. Vital may also be attributive from Middle English vital in the sense 'full of vitality' 1

Early Origins of the Vital family

Early History of the Vital family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vital research. Another 174 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1041, 1153, 1172, 1191, 1194, 1327, 1474, 1476, 1510, 1543, 1600, 1629, 1632, 1648, 1674, 1708 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Vital History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vital Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Vial, Vidal, Vital, Viall, Veel, Vele, Veil, Veele, Vidall, Vital, Vitall, Viel and many more.

Early Notables of the Vital family

Edward Veel or Veal (1632?-1708), an English nonconformist tutor, of good family, and born, probably in Gloucestershire. Robert Veel, Veale or Veil (1648-1674?), was an English...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vital Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vital Ranking

the United States, the name Vital is the 11,130^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Vital is ranked the 7,878^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Vital family to Ireland

Some of the Vital 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.

Migration of the Vital family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Vital name or one of its variants: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..