Michel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Etymology of Michel

What does the name Michel mean?

The Michel family originally lived in the town of Mitcham in the county of Surrey, England before moving north to Scotland, and taking this name with them. In Scotland, as hereditary surnames were adopted during the late Middle Ages, names derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names sometimes denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. Alternatively the name was derived from the personal name Michael, meaning "who is like God" and influenced by the Norman French to Michel and later to Mitchell. The Gaelic form of the name was MacgilleMichael. 1

Crossmichael is a parish, in the stewartry of Kirkcudbright. "This place, which is of remote antiquity, derives its name, in old documents Corse-Michael, from the dedication of its church, which was granted to the abbey of Sweetheart, in the year 1275, by Dervorgille, wife of Allan, Lord of Galloway, and mother of John Baliol, King of Scotland. " 2

Early Origins of the Michel family

The surname Michel was first found in Surrey. Although the records are vague, it is most likely that this name moved north from Durham or Yorkshire around 1130 and were one of the many families invited north by King David of Scotland when he ascended the throne. Significantly, John Michelsone had a safe conduct passage to England to conduct trading south of the border in 1395.

Meanwhile, William Michelsone held his estates in Innerkethin Scotland. The Latinization of this name at this time was Michaelis and many of the individuals are recorded in charters under this name. John Michaelis of Brechin was the rector of that place in 1464. "Robert Michael de Hyrmanston was a charter witness in 1438, John Michell had a remission granted him in 1489 for his part in holding Dumbarton Castle against the king, and John Mitsell held a land in Glasgow in 1496." 1

Early History of the Michel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Michel research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1433, 1463, 1465, 1474, 1591, 1600, 1642, 1646, 1662, 1663, 1699, 1702, 1710 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Michel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Michel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mitchell, Michel, Michell, Mitchill, Mychell, Mitcham and many more.

Early Notables of the Michel family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Michel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Michel World Ranking

In the United States, the name Michel is the 1,601^st most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 3 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Michel is ranked the 530^th most popular surname. 4 And in France, the name Michel is the 14^th popular surname with an estimated 74,318 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Michel family to Ireland

Some of the Michel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Michel migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Michel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Franz Ludwig Michel, who settled in the Carolinas in 1701
Franz Ludwig Michel, who arrived in North Carolina in 1704 6
Johan Michel, who arrived in New York in 1709 6
Kasper Michel, who arrived in New York in 1709 6
Otto Henrig Michel, who landed in New York in 1709 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Michel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Michel, who arrived in America in 1810 6
John Michel, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1812 6
Frances Michel, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1829 6
George Michel, aged 52, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1832 6
Jacob Michel, aged 19, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1832 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Michel migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Michel Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Jean Michel, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 1st April 1643 7
Andre Michel, who landed in Montreal in 1663

Michel Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Peter Michel, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Mr. Carlman Michel U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 8
Mr. Harvey Michel U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 8

Michel Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Darius Michel, who arrived in Canada in 1836

Michel migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Michel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

H. Michel, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bardaster" in 1839 9

Michel 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:

Michel Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Michel, British settler travelling from London via Cape ports aboard the ship "Pembroke Castle" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 5th November 1889 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Michel (post 1700) +

Robert Henry "Bob" Michel (1923-2017), American Republican Party politician, House Minority Leader (1981-1995), recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994
Prakazrel Samuel "Pras" Michel (b. 1972), American two-time Grammy-winning American rapper
F. Curtis Michel (b. 1934), American astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut 11
Anne Michel (1959-2023), Belgian sprinter
Pierre Michel (1929-2023), French cyclist
Francisco Javier Santana Michel (1958-2015), Mexican botanist
Georges Michel (1946-2022), French rugby union player for Tarbes Pyrénées Rugby (c. 1964-1973)
Andrée Michel (1920-2022), French sociologist, feminist, anticolonialist, and antimilitarist
Jean-Pierre Michel (1938-2021), French politician, member of the Senate of France, representing the Haute-Saône department from 2004 to 2014
Henri Michel (1947-2018), French football player and coach of France at the 1986 World Cup
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Michel family +

Flight TWA 800

Mr. Pascal Luc Simon Michel (d. 1996), from Montpelier, France, French passenger flying aboard Flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash 12

The Michel Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Favente Deo supero
Motto Translation: By God’s favour I conquer.

Citations +

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
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
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BARDASTER 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Bardcaster.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) F. Michel. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/michel-fc.html
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm

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