Contents [hide]

Connell History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Connell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Connell

What does the name Connell mean?

Irish surnames are all based on the Gaelic language native to Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Connell is Ó Conaill. 1

Early Origins of the Connell family

The surname Connell was first found in County Limerick where O'Connell was the chief of Hy-Cuilean, a territory south-east of Abbeyfeale, in the barony of Upper Connello near the borders of Cork and Kerry. The O'Connells had their chief residence in Castle Connell. In the twelfth century the O'Connells settled in Kerry. One reference claims that the O'Falvies, admirals of Desmond; the O'Connells, of Kerry; O'Sheas, chiefs of Muskerry, in Cork; and several other chiefs, claim descent from the Clan na Deaga, Chiefs of Munster, originally a branch of the Heremonians of Ulster.

The Cannell variant is "a name peculiar to the Isle of Man, is from the Celtic MacConaill." 2

Early History of the Connell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Connell research. Another 209 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1300, 1621, 1641, 1678, 1743, 1775, 1826 and 1833 are included under the topic Early Connell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Connell Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Connell were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Connell, O'Connell, Cannell, Connall, Conell, Conall, Connill, Connull, Connel, Connal, Connul, Canell, Cannel, O'Connall, O'Conell and many more.

Early Notables of the Connell family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

Capuchin Father Robert O'Connell (c.1621-1678)
Daniel Count O'Connell (1743-1833), colonel of the Irish Brigade

Connell World Ranking

In the United States, the name Connell is the 1,827^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Connell is ranked the 469^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,035 people with that name. 4 And in New Zealand, the name Connell is the 837^th popular surname with an estimated 869 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Connell as 922^nd with 7,496 people. 6

Connell migration to the United States +

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish families leaving Ireland for the distant shores of North America and Australia. These families often left their homeland hungry, penniless, and destitute due to the policies of England. Those Irish immigrants that survived the long sea passage initially settled on the eastern seaboard of the continent. Some, however, moved north to a then infant Canada as United Empire Loyalists after ironically serving with the English in the American War of Independence. Others that remained in America later joined the westward migration in search of land. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, though, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America, and those who arrived were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. In fact, the foundations of today's powerful nations of the United States and Canada were to a larger degree built by the Irish. Archival documents indicate that members of the Connell family relocated to North American shores quite early:

Connell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Connell, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 7
Hugh Connell, who landed in Maryland in 1672 7
Morgan Connell, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 7
Rebecah Connell, who landed in Maryland in 1679 7

Connell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Tim Connell, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 7
Timothy Connell, who landed in Virginia in 1701 7
Cath Connell, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 7
Catherine Connell, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 7
Mary Connell, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Connor Connell, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1808 7
P Connell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 7
Sarah Connell, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 7
Darby Connell, who arrived in America in 1811 7
Ann Connell, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connell Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Peter Connell, who landed in Mississippi in 1903 7
Edward Connell, who arrived in Mississippi in 1903 7

Connell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Connell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Miss Catherine Connell, "Connett" U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harbour, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783; listed as being a child but older than 10 years 8
Mr. Daniel Connell, "Connett" U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harbour, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783; listed as being a child but older than 10 years 8
Mrs. Sarah Connell, "Connett" U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harbour, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 8
Miss Elizabeth Connell, "Connett" U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harbour, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783; listed as being a child but older than 10 years 8

Connell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Connell, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1830
Hugh Connell, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1832
Patrick Connell, aged 32, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Patrick Connell, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Providence" from Cork, Ireland
Mary Connell, aged 28, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Providence" from Cork, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connell migration to Australia +

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

Connell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mrs. Catherine Connell, (nee Sullivan), (b. 1760), aged 40, British Convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 14 years for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1811 9
Mr. John Connell, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Miss Elizabeth Connell, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Micahel Connell, English convict who was convicted in Isle of Wight, England for life, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
John Connell, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connell 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:

Connell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Connell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
William Connell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Charles Connell, aged 39, a labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 14
Ellen Connell, aged 36, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 14
Morgan Connell, aged 17, a labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Connell (post 1700) +

Charles R Connell (1864-1922), American politican, US Congressman from Pennsylvania
Richard E Connell (1857-1912), American politician, US Congressman from New York
John P. Connell (1923-2015), American stage, television, film and voice actor
Jane Connell (1925-2013), born Jane Sperry Bennett, an American Tony award nominated character actress
Brigadier-General Samuel Martin Connell (1897-1981), American Commanding General 4th Bomber Command (1942-1944) 15
Brigadier-General Carl William Connell (1890-1946), American Commanding General 5th Air Force Service Command (1942-1944) 16
Richard Connell (1893-1949), American author and journalist
Evan Shelby Connell Jr. (b. 1924), American novelist, poet, and short story-writer
Desmond Connell (1926-2017), Irish cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church
Anthony "Tony" Connell (1944-2024), Scottish football player and coach who made over 260 appearances
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Connell family +

Flight 191

D Connell (d. 1979), American passenger from South Bend, Indiana, USA, who flew aboard American Airlines Flight 191 and died in the crash 17

SS Southern Cross

Mr. Thomas Connell (1853-1914), Newfoundlander from St. John's who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found

The Connell 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: Ciall agus neart
Motto Translation: Reason and power.

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
"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 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
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)
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 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 23) Samuel Connell. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Connell/Samuel_Martin/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 23) Carl Connell. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Connell/Carl_William/USA.html
Flight 191's Victims - latimes. (Retrieved 2014, April 16) . Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1985-08-04/news/mn-4349_1_fort-lauderdale-area