Mitchell or Mitchel is an English and Scottish surname with two 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]

Geographical distribution

As of 2014, 65.5% of all bearers of the surname Mitchell were residents of the United States (frequency 1:759), 12.0% of England (1:639), 5.6% of Australia (1:581), 5.1% of Canada (1:987), 2.8% of Scotland (1:261), 2.4% of South Africa (1:3,154) and 1.3% of Jamaica (1:309).

In Scotland, the frequency of the surname was higher than average (1:261) in the following council areas:[4]

In the United States, the frequency of the surname was higher than average (1:759) in the following states:

People

A–E

F–L

M–R

S–Z

Fictional characters

EastEnders

The Mitchell family has played a large part in the British soap opera EastEnders since their introduction in 1990. Characters credited under the surname are as follows:

See also

References

  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.
  4. ^ Mitchell surname distribution
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