Mitchell (surname)

Mitchell or Mitchel is an English, Scottish and Irish surname with three etymological origins. In some cases, the name is derived from the Middle English and Old French (and Norman French) name Michel, a vernacular form of the name Michael.[1] The personal name Michael is ultimately derived from a Hebrew name, meaning "Who is like God".[2] In other cases, the surname is derived from the Middle English (Saxon and Anglian) words michel, mechel, and muchel, meaning "big". In some cases, the surname was adopted as an equivalent of Mulvihill;[1] this English-language surname is derived from the Irish-language Ó Maoilmhichíl, meaning "descendant of the devotee of St. Michael".[3]

  1. ^ a b Mitchell Family History, Ancestry.com, retrieved 2 May 2012. This webpage cites Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
  2. ^ Michael Family History, Ancestry.com, retrieved 2 May 2012. This webpage cites Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4.
  3. ^ Mulvihill Family History, Ancestry.com, retrieved 2 May 2012. This webpage cites Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4.