The Darnell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 17,915 people carried this name — #2,016 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 16,500 people counted. That is up 1% from 17,775 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Darnell surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Darnall’.

An early record he cites: Agnes Darnel, Suffolk, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 231 · public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

92 people named Darnell is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 92

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Darnell was found among the farmers of Leicestershire and Rutland: 17 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Leicestershire and Rutland 17

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Darnell in American newspapers,
1915–1916.

Newspaper page from The Telegraph-courier carrying the name Darnell
The Telegraph-courier 1915-01-14
Newspaper page from The Telegraph-courier carrying the name Darnell
The Telegraph-courier 1915-01-14
Newspaper page from The Ronan Pioneer carrying the name Darnell
The Ronan Pioneer 1916-06-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 55,551 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Darnell in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2000s.

5,080 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Darnell. The most, 788, date from the 1880s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 1,703
New South Wales 1,370
Victoria 990
Western Australia 461
South Australia 407
Tasmania 124
ACT (Canberra) 10
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Darnell.

Who carried it

People named Darnell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Nicholas Henry Darnell
    Nicholas Henry Darnell 1807–1885 · politician
  • Jean Darnell
    Jean Darnell 1889–1961 · actor
  • Sir Thomas Darnell, 1st Baronet d. 1638
  • Frances Anne Darnell d. 1889
  • Fanny Darnell d. 1857
  • Mary Darnell d. 1749

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Darnell,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States883 records

883 records of the Darnell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 572
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 209
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 41
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 26
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 18
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 7
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 6
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles S. Darnell

    Born 1920 in Missouri. Enlisted 1943 at Jefferson Barracks; farm hand from Pemiscot County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Maple Cemetery, Caruthersville, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William Eugene Darnell

    Born 1944; from Goshen, Indiana. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annie Darnell

    Arrived at New York in 1882 aboard the State of Alabama from Glasgow, aged 30; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 883 records for Darnell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia117 records

117 records of the Darnell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 68
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 26
  • Tasmanian Names Index 9
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 8
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 6
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Joseph Darnell

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Waterloo, arriving 1838; ticket of leave 1843.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Darnell

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Acadia, aged 38; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John Frederick Darnell

    Welding engineer of Cranbourne, Victoria; died 1990.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 117 records for Darnell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

United Kingdom10 records

10 records of the Darnell name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Darnell

    East Yorkshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. A. Darnell

    Northumberland Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. J. Darnell

    Pioneer, Royal Engineers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Darnell in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada6 records

6 records of the Darnell name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Sadie E. Darnell

    Died 1926 in Dartmouth, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Thomas Darnell

    Died 1961; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Frederick William Darnell

    Died in service in 1949.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 6 records for Darnell in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Darnell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Darnell is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Darnell volume
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