Cantell Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Cantell Origin:

England

Origins of Cantell:

The Anglo- Norman Conquest of Ireland lead by Strongbow introduced the first non-Gaelic elements into Irish nomenclature. These Anglo- Normans brought some traditions to Ireland that not readily appeared within Gaelic system of hereditary surnames. One of the best examples of this is the local surname. Local surnames, such as Cantell, acquired from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person resided, held land, or was born. These surnames were very common in England but were almost non-existent within Ireland previous to the Invasion. The earliest surnames of this type came from Normandy, but as the Normans moved, they often created names about where they lived. Therefore, some settlers eventually took names from Irish places. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name started with a vowel, or dropped entirely. The Cantell family originally resided in the place called Cauntelo in Northern France. Early medieval deeds are recording the surname Cantell as de Cantelupo, the Latin equivalent of the Norman name de Cauntelo. Before their migration to Ireland, the Cantell family spent a long time in England. The shrine of St. Thomas de Cantelupe, who was the last English saint canonized before the Reformation, is in Hereford Cathedral.Church officials and old authors often spelled early surnames as they sounded. This practice often resulted in many spelling variations of even a single name. Early versions of the name Cantell included as Cantillon, Cantilon, Cantlin, Cantilupe, Cantlowe, Cantelowe, Cantell, Cantillion, Cantlon, Cantlow and many more.

Variations:

More common variations are: Cantwell, Cantello, Cantuell, Cantelli, Cantella, Cantelle, Cantiell, Cantdell, Canttell.

Ireland:

The surname Cantell first appeared in Division Kerry (Iristhiarrai) part of the earlier Division Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province, where they held a family seat at Ballyheige where they had given lands after the Norman invasion in 1172 by Strongbow. As one would expect, not all of the family moved to Ireland. Bingley in the West Riding of Yorkshire was an old family seat. “This place is one of the thirty-two lordships given by the Invader to Erneis de Berun, from whose descendants it moved to the Paganells and the Gants, and afterwards to the Cantilupe family.” The origin of surnames during this period became a necessity with the introduction of personal taxation. Many of the people with surname Cantell had moved to Ireland during the 17th century.

United States of America:

Some of the people with the surname Cantell who arrived in the United States in the 17th century included Mary Cantell, who landed in Maryland in the year 1680.

New-Zealand:

Some of the individuals with the surname Cantell who landed in New-Zealand in the 19th century included Charles Cantell at the age of 25, arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship “Bombay” in the year 1865. Susannah Cantell at the age of 24, arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship “Bombay” in the year 1865. Joseph Cantell at the age of 16, a labourer, arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship “Avalanche” in the year 1875.

Here is the population distribution of the last name Cantell: United States 198; Finland 133; England 97; New Zealand 47; Australia 24; Canada 23; Sweden 22; Scotland 20; Denmark 1; Wales 1.

Notable People:

Christopher M. Cantell (born June 1961) is an American businessperson born in St Albans, Vermont. He is best known for his work in supercomputers in the 80s, his public relations and advertising businesses and most recently his technology and investment enterprises in the telecommunications industry.

Kari Cantell was a Finnish scientist best known for his work on interferons.

Saara Cantell was a Finnish film director.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

(Ireland). Gu. a star of eight points within an orle of five annulets or, a canton erm.