Wignal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Wignal

What does the name Wignal mean?

The name Wignal reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wignal family lived in Norfolk, at Wiggenhall.

Early Origins of the Wignal family

The surname Wignal was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat from about 1066, where they were conjecturally descended from Ralph Baynard, a Norman noble, who held the lands of Wiggenhall in Norfolk.

Early History of the Wignal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wignal research. Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wignal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wignal Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Wignal include Wignall, Wignoll, Wignull, Wiggenhall and others.

Early Notables of the Wignal family

Wignall of Wiltshire

Wignal migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Wignals to arrive on North American shores:

Wignal Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alexander Wignal, who landed in Massachusetts in 1631 1

Sources +

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)