Bell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland/England
England
France
Ireland

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 Scots given name Bel, which derived from the Old French "beu" or "bel," meaning "handsome." "The chief habitation of the Bells has long been on the Scottish border. " 1

Early Origins of the Bell family

The surname Bell was first found in Dumfriesshire, where they have been found since ancient times. The Clan is descended from Gilbert le fiz Bel, who had extensive territories in Annandale on the English/Scottish border. He was the first clan chief, when King Edward invaded the Scottish lowlands in 1290 AD. In this brief conquest, Bel forfeited the clan territories of the Bells and the clan moved to Middlebie in Dumfrieshire.

Later when Edward of England was defeated by the Scottish they returned to their Annandale territories in the Scottish West Marches and acquired some territories on the southern side of the border at Gilsland just south of Hadrian's Wall. "The Bells of Annandale are said to be descended from Gilbert le fiz Bel, who was deprived of his lands by Edward I. The name was common on the Border for centuries, and the 'Beilis' are included in the list of unruly clans in the West Marches, 1587." 2

Early History of the Bell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bell research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1069, 1263, 1271, 1562, 1577, 1587, 1590, 1603, 1607, 1618, 1626, 1629, 1636, 1640, 1648, 1650, 1668, 1678, 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

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bell, Belle and others.

Early Notables of the Bell family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Master David Bell, canon of the church of Dunkeld in 1263
Sir Edmond Bell Of Castle Acre and Beaupre Hall, Norfolk (1562-1607), Justice of the Peace, Norfolk
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
Philip Bell (1590-1678), English Governor of Bermuda (1626 to 1629), of the Providence Island colony (1629 to 1636), and of Barbados (1640 to 1650)
William Bell (died ca. 1668), an English apothecary and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1648

Bell World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bell is the 58^th most popular surname with an estimated 290,979 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Bell is ranked the 78^th most popular surname with an estimated 31,373 people with that name. 4 And in Australia, the name Bell is the 41^st popular surname with an estimated 42,630 people with that name. 5 New Zealand ranks Bell as 58^th with 5,090 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Bell as 48^th with 83,942 people. 7 South Africa ranks Bell as 920^th with 7,585 people. 8

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 the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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 9
George Bell, who settled in Virginia in 1638
John Bell who settled in Virginia in 1638
Christian Bell, who landed in Virginia in 1650 10
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

Anne Bell, who landed in Virginia in 1713 10
Chr Bell, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 10
Christopher Bell, who arrived in Virginia in 1716
Aaron Bell, who arrived in New England in 1719 10
Henericus Bell, German who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "William and Sarah" 11
... (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
Abraham Bell, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 10
Anna Bell, aged 5, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1838 10
D Bell, aged 24, who landed in Key West, Fla in 1838 10
Catharine J Bell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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 12
Mr. Derick Bell U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 13
Mr. Duncan Bell U.E. who settled in Fredericksburgh, Cataraqui township, [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1783 13
... (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
Agnes Bell, aged 55, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Pacific" from Liverpool, England
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
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 Australia +

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

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
Gordon Bell (1934-2024), born Chester Gordon Bell, an American electrical engineer and manager, designer of several of the DEC PDP machines and later served as the company's Vice President of Engineering from 1972-1983
Charles Wade Bell (1945-2024), American middle distance runner who competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Kristen Anne Bell (b. 1980), American Satellite, People's Choice Award winning actress, known for Frozen (2013), Veronica Mars (2014), Frozen II (2019), PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie (2023) and many more
Robert Holmes Bell (1944-2023), American jurist, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (2017-2023)
Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell (1943-2022), Jamaican-born American record producer, arranger and songwriter known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s, inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
Luke Bell (1990-2022), American country musician and singer-songwriter, born in Lexington, Kentucky
Madison Smartt Bell (b. 1957), American novelist, known for his trilogy of novels about Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution, published 1995–2004
Robert Bell (1732-1784), Scottish immigrant to the British colonies in America, one of many early American printers and publishers, best known for printing Thomas Paine's celebrated work, Common Sense
Michael John "Mike" Bell (1974-2021), American professional baseball third baseman and coach
... (Another 371 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 21
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 22

Grover Shoe factory

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 23

Halifax Explosion

Mr. John Francis Bell (1854-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 24
Master Stanley Bell (1912-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 24
Mrs. Jessie Bell (1880-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 24
Master Gerald Francis Bell (1914-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 24
Mrs. Geraldine Bell (1890-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 24
... (Another 2 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hillsborough disaster

Simon Bell (1971-1989), English trainee who was attending the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium, in Sheffield, Yorkshire when the stand allocated area became overcrowded and 96 people were crushed in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster and he died from his injuries 25

HMS Dorsetshire

Douglas Stewart Bell (d. 1945), British Stoker 1st Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 26

HMS Hood

Mr. William Bell (b. 1917), Scottish Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve from Edinburgh, Scotland, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 27
Mr. Cyril Kemp Bell (b. 1923), English Ordinary Signalman serving for the Royal Navy from Bardney, Lincolnshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 27

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Thomas William Bell (b. 1915), "Bill" English Able Bodied Seaman from England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 28
Mr. Leonard Hammersley Bell, British Captain, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 28
Mr. Charles Bell, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 28

HMS Repulse

Mr. Walter Bell, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 29
Mr. James Bell, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 29

HMS Royal Oak

Robert William Bell (1900-1939), British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 30
Ian Bell, British Signalman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 30

Mount Mulligan Mine

Irving Bell, British-born, Australian coal miner who was killed in the Mount Mulligan Mine explosion in 1921

North Sea Flood

T. Bell, British worker aboard the trawler "Sheldon" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)

Jean Mary Bell (1944-1988), English Passenger from Berkshire, England, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 31

RMS Titanic

Mr. Joseph Bell (d. 1912), aged 50, English Chief Engineer from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 32

SS Atlantic

Alice Bell, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

USS Arizona

Mr. Hershel Homer Bell, American Fire Controlman Second Class from Illinois, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 33
Mr. Richard Leroy Bell, American Seaman Second Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 33

USS Indianapolis

Maurice Glenn Bell (1925-2009), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he survived the sinking 34

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"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
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
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)
Egle, William Henry. Names of foreigners who took the oath of allegiance to the province and state of Pennsylvania... Edwin K. Meyers state printer, 1892
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
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
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
Hillsborough Victims (retreived 21st March 2021). Retreived from https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/remembering-96-victims-hillsborough-disaster-30-years-9206566/
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew

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