LINNELL
Linnell is an English surname which can be traced to the medieval given name Lionel. Lionel itself is a diminutive of Leonard, a name of Germanic origin composed of the elements leo, meaning “lion”, and hard, meaning “brave” or “strong”. The surname therefore conveys the sense of “son of Lionel” or “descendant of Leonard”, indicating a familial connection to a person who bore either name in the past.
The name is firmly rooted in the British Isles, particularly England, where it first appears in the early thirteenth century. The earliest recorded spelling, that of Reginald Linel, is found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273, during the reign of King Edward I, who is often called “The Hammer of the Scots”. This record attests to the presence of the name in that period and place.
In addition to the English usage, there is an Old French provenance for the personal name Lionel. The French diminutive form was derived from the Latin leo and was borne by a number of notable figures, including a knight of King Arthur and the third son of King Edward IV, the Duke of Clarence. The name Leonard was particularly popular in the north of England, where it was found under variants such as Lyell and Lyonel, both of which are also surnames. The compound personal name was recorded as Lunell in the Hundred Rolls of Essex in 1273, the same year that the surname itself first appears in written records.
Historical evidence of individuals bearing the name includes Richard Lyonell, who is mentioned in the Register of Oxford University in 1513, and Richard Lynell, who married Margery Awsten in Kensington, London, in 1577. In 1620, Ann Linnell entered into matrimony with Robert Spriggins at St. James’, Clerkenwell, London.
The distribution of the surname is heavily concentrated in England and it remains a distinctly English family name, even though its roots reach back to Germanic and Old French linguistic traditions. In the context of Christian society, as is typical of surnames recorded in England, the bearer of the name would have been a Christian.
Typical given names associated with the Linnell surname
Male
- Anthony
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Carol
- Catherine
- Emma
- Jane
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Kate
- Laura
- Linda
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Linnell in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 1,322 people named Linnell in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,923rd most common surname in Britain. Around 20 in a million people in Britain are named Linnell.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Linnell
- John Linnell - Artist (1792 to 1882)
- Francis John Linnell - Royal Air Force air marshals (1892 to 1944)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.