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

Fennell, 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 Fennell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fennell in America

Fennell is the 3163rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fennell surname appeared 11,410 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Fennell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fennell 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 Fennell

The surname Fennell has its origins in England and Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is an Anglo-Norman surname derived from the Old French word "fenel," which means "fennel" or "fennel plant." This plant was a common ingredient in medieval cuisine and was also used for medicinal purposes.

In England, the surname Fennell is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who grew, sold, or was associated with fennel. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190, where a Robert Fenel is mentioned.

In Ireland, the surname Fennell is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Fionnghail, which means "descendant of Fionnghal." Fionnghal is derived from the Gaelic words "fionn," meaning "fair" or "white," and "ghal," meaning "valor" or "bravery." The earliest known bearer of this name in Ireland was Fionnghal Mac Carthaigh, a chieftain of the Baronies of Muskerry in County Cork in the 12th century.

One of the most notable early references to the surname Fennell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named William Fenel is recorded as holding lands in Buckinghamshire, England.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Fennell. In the 16th century, Rodrigo Fernandez de Fennell was a Spanish explorer who accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru. In the 17th century, Richard Fennell was an English author and poet who wrote the work "Descriptions; or A Compleat Body of Philosophy."

In the 18th century, John Fennell was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons, representing the constituency of Charleville from 1776 to 1790. In the 19th century, James Fennell was an English architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in the Gothic Revival style.

In the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the surname was James Fennell (1912-1977), an American violinist and conductor who served as the music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fennell

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

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 Fennell 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 Fennell 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 Fennell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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