The Earl surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 16,027 people carried this name — #2,270 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 18,400 people counted. That is up 4% from 15,347 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Earl surname

A surname originating as an occupation for service in the household of an earl, or from a nickname.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Earl» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley explains it as ‘the earl’.

An early record he cites: Robertus Erle, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Earl, Earle and Earll.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 262 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 16 births for the Earl name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Earle.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 10
Ulster 3
Munster 2
Connacht 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Earl was found among the farmers of Devon: 8 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. His list gives one count for the spellings Earl and Earle.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Devon 8

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 the first U.S. census, 1790

130 families named Earl, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 727 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 38
Massachusetts 30
Pennsylvania 15
Rhode Island 12
North Carolina 11
Maryland 7
Vermont 6
South Carolina 6
Connecticut 2
Virginia 2
New Hampshire 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 238 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Earl in American newspapers,
1907–1922.

Newspaper page from The Billings Gazette carrying the name Earl
The Billings Gazette 1907-04-02
Newspaper page from The Rice Belt Journal carrying the name Earl
The Rice Belt Journal 1914-07-17
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Earl
Great Falls Tribune 1922-03-12

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 28,247 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Earl in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

43,483 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Earl. The most, 6,306, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 12,150
Queensland 10,313
Victoria 8,861
South Australia 6,581
Western Australia 3,137
Tasmania 1,898
ACT (Canberra) 338
Northern Territory 34

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

Who carried it

People named Earl,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Robert Earl
    Robert Earl 1824–1902 · judge
  • Agnes Ada Earl d. 1934
  • Ralph Earl 1751–1801 · painter
  • James Earl 1761–1796 · painter
  • Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl 1785–1838 · painter
  • Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl 1788–1838 · painter

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Earl,
in the records of 6 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 States1,884 records

1,884 records of the Earl name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 598
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 494
  • Other U.S. records 792
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael Randall Earl

    Born 1944; from Las Vegas, New Mexico. U.S. Army, attack helicopter pilot; died in an accident 1969 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam. Buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Delmer J. Earl

    Born 1917 in North Dakota. Enlisted 1944 at Los Angeles, California; mechanic. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah Earl

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the City of Rome from Liverpool, aged 18; servant. From Queenstown, Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 1,884 records for Earl in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia738 records

738 records of the Earl name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 356
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 173
  • Other Australian records 209
  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 David Earl

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Phoenix, sailing from England in 1824. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1838. Married 1838 in Oatlands, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Maude M. A. Earl

    Arrived in Victoria in 1885 aboard the Pathan, aged 23; 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 Edward Earl

    Fancy goods dealer of Maryborough, Victoria; died 1909.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 738 records for Earl in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Canada176 records

176 records of the Earl name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 112
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 15
  • Other Canadian records 49
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Peter Earl

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Nestorian, landing at Quebec, bound for Weston, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Russell Wilfred Earl

    Buried in 1973 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 73.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Earl

    Died 1931 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 176 records for Earl in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom39 records

39 records of the Earl name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 29
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 5
  • Other British records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Earl

    Buried in 1912 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 70.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary Ellen Earl

    Will proved in 1921; of Holyhead, Anglesea.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Earl

    Royal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

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

Showing 3 of 39 records for Earl in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand13 records

13 records of the Earl name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 11
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ivy Myrtle Earl

    Died 1941, aged 44; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Jane Earl

    Died 1957, aged 69; buried at Havelock Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Earl

    Buried in 1890 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 61.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Earl in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Earl name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record David Jonathan Earl

    Born 1945 in the United States; died 1994 in Versailles (Yvelines).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Earl.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Earl.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Earl 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 Earl volume
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