Find out how popular the last name Arnell is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Arnell.

Arnell, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Arnell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Arnell in America

Arnell is the 25486th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Arnell surname appeared 970 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Arnell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Arnell to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Arnell

The surname Arnell has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "earn," meaning eagle, and "hyll," meaning hill or slope. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a hill frequented by eagles or someone who lived on a hill with a distinct eagle-like shape.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Arnell can be found in the Feet of Fines, a collection of legal records from medieval England, dating back to 1196. In this document, a man named Richard Arnell is mentioned in connection with a land transaction in Warwickshire.

The name Arnell also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1212, where it is recorded as "Arnhelle." This variation in spelling highlights the fluid nature of surnames during that time period.

A notable individual bearing the surname Arnell was Sir John Arnell (c.1420-1492), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Norfolk. He served as the Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk and was a influential figure in East Anglia during the Wars of the Roses.

Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Arnell (1572-1639), an English politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ipswich and later for Suffolk. He was a staunch Puritan and supported the cause of the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War.

In the 17th century, the Arnell family established themselves in the county of Gloucestershire. One member of this branch, William Arnell (1626-1701), was a renowned Quaker preacher and author, known for his work "The Grounds of a Holy Life."

During the 18th century, the name Arnell can be found in various records from the county of Derbyshire. A notable figure from this time was Samuel Arnell (1743-1818), a clergyman and author who served as the Vicar of Kimberley and Rector of Greasley.

The surname Arnell also has a presence in Scotland, where it is believed to have originated from the place name Arnol or Arnoll, which means "eagle's hill" or "eagle's slope." One notable Scotsman bearing this surname was Sir William Arnell (1827-1901), a successful businessman and philanthropist who served as the Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1890 to 1892.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Arnell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Arnell.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Arnell was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Arnell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Arnell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Arnell, please contact us.

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