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

Varnell, 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 Varnell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Varnell in America

Varnell is the 12182nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Varnell surname appeared 2,558 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Varnell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Varnell 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 Varnell

The surname Varnell is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "fearn" meaning fern, and "hyll" meaning hill or slope, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided near a fern-covered hill or slope.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Varnell can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273, where it appears as "Vernell". This suggests that the name was already established in the English counties by the late 13th century.

The Varnell surname is also found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, a collection of financial records dating back to the 12th century. Here, the name is spelled as "Vernhull", further reinforcing its connection to the Old English words for fern and hill.

In the 14th century, the Varnell family held lands in Shropshire, as evidenced by the inclusion of a Robert Varnell in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327. This document was a tax record that listed landowners and their properties.

Notable bearers of the Varnell surname throughout history include John Varnell (1524-1592), an English clergyman and translator who served as a Canon of Windsor from 1579 until his death. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Varnell (1587-1643), a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of King Charles I.

In the 17th century, the Varnell name appeared in various parish records across England, with families documented in counties such as Devon, Somerset, and Warwickshire. One notable example is William Varnell (1647-1718), a successful merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.

Moving into the 18th century, the Varnell name continued to be prominent in England, with records showing families in areas like Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. A notable figure from this period was James Varnell (1726-1798), a respected attorney and legal scholar from London.

As the centuries progressed, the Varnell surname spread to other parts of the English-speaking world, with families bearing the name settling in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, the roots of this surname can be firmly traced back to its English origins in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Varnell

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

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

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

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