The Fennell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,410 people carried this name — #3,163 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 25,800 people counted. That is up 5% from 10,884 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Fennell surname

Metonymic occupational surname for a grower or seller of fennel.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Fennell» (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 classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the vennel’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 285 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 29 births for the Fennell name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Clare and Dublin.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 16
Leinster 12
Ulster 1

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

In the first U.S. census, 1790

26 families named Fennell, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 143 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 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

North Carolina 10
South Carolina 5
Virginia 4
Pennsylvania 3
Maryland 3
Vermont 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. 240 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Fennell in American newspapers,
1889–1903.

Newspaper page from The True Northerner carrying the name Fennell
The True Northerner 1903-03-27
Newspaper page from The Morning News carrying the name Fennell
The Morning News 1889-11-01
Newspaper page from Waterbury Democrat carrying the name Fennell
Waterbury Democrat 1896-01-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 26,545 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Fennell in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

11,061 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Fennell. The most, 2,109, 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 Western Australia, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 4,253
South Australia 1,787
Victoria 1,604
Western Australia 1,599
Queensland 925
Tasmania 810
ACT (Canberra) 54
Northern Territory 5

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

Who carried it

People named Fennell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Fennell
    James Fennell 1766–1816 · stage actor
  • James Fennell
    James Fennell 1766–1816 · stage actor
  • Frances Fennell d. 1767
  • Una Fairfax Cochrane d. 1954
  • William Fennell 1758–
  • John Fennell 1762–1841 · educator

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 Fennell,
in the records of 7 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 States1,407 records

1,407 records of the Fennell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 385
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 329
  • Other U.S. records 693
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Amiel Fennell

    Born 1921 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sam Houston; auto mechanic from Bexar County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    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 Alton Jimmy Fennell

    Born 1949; from Warner Robins, Georgia. U.S. Marine Corps; died in an accident 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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 Patrick Fennell

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 24; laborer. From Cork, Ireland; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 1,407 records for Fennell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). 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).

Australia452 records

452 records of the Fennell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 164
  • Tasmanian Names Index 100
  • Other Australian records 188
  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 Shadrack Fennell

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Princess Charlotte, sailing from Downs in 1824. Native of Somerset. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1841.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Frederick Charles Fennell

    Born 1902 in Wellington Street, Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1937 in Tasmania, aged 35.

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

    Arrived in Queensland in 1885 aboard the Waroonga, aged 24.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 452 records for Fennell 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). 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada101 records

101 records of the Fennell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 65
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 15
  • Other Canadian records 21
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lily Fennell

    Buried in 1970 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 86.

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

    Died 1958 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

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

    Died in service in 1945.

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

Showing 3 of 101 records for Fennell in Canada.

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

Netherlands42 records

42 records of the Fennell name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 22
  • Dutch population registers 20
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Gerardus Fennell

    Born 1888 in Velsen. Married in 1912 in Gouda. Died 1961 in Maastricht, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Streekarchief Midden-Holland (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Marij Fennell

    Born 1883 in Velsen. Married in 1909 in Velsen. Died 1953 in Heemstede, aged 69.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Hannah Fennell

    Died 1847 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 64.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 42 records for Fennell in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom11 records

11 records of the Fennell name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 7
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Fennell

    Buried in 1802 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 51.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Fennell

    Irish Guards. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    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 G. W. Fennell

    Welsh Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 11 records for Fennell 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. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand8 records

8 records of the Fennell name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 4
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 2
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record May Rix Fennell

    Died 1957, aged 75; 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 Dorothy Fennell

    Buried in 1897 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 86.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frederick Fennell

    Died 1965; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Fennell in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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).

France2 records

2 records of the Fennell 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 Andre Firmin Fennell

    Born 1918 in Rouen (Seine-Maritime); died 1997 in Raismes (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Aline Marguerite Fennell

    Born 1894 in Paris; died 1986 in Cachan (Val-de-Marne).

    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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Fennell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Fennell 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 Fennell volume
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