Norse-Scots

Mitchell

Mistéil

“from Michael”

🏔 Antrim · Aontroim 🏔 Down · An Dún 🏔 Galway · Gaillimh

The sept's historic heartland, highlighted. People moved — a name can be found far from home.

The story

Planter stock in Ulster, merchant stock in Galway — and John Mitchel of Newry, the Young Irelander whose furious 'Jail Journal' taught a century of rebels their prose style.

Their world Around 1845 — An Gorta Mór — The Great Famine. Potato blight strikes a population of 8.5 million, a third of whom depend on the crop entirely.

See them on the atlas ↗

What the name is made of

Mistéil
No prefix: the name stands on its own word.

Find this form in the Irish-to-English index → · What Ó and Mac actually mean

Is Mitchell an Irish name?

Mitchell came from the Norse settlers who arrived from the 9th century, founded the port towns and married into Gaelic Ireland. The name reached us through Irish.

The five answers, and why it is rarely yes or no →

From Wikipedia — “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 name Michel, a vernacular form of the name Michael. The personal name Michael is ultimately derived from a Hebrew name, meaning "Who is like God?". In other cases, the surname is derived from the Middle English words michel, mechel, and muchel, meaning "big". In some cases, the surname was adopted as an equivalent of Mulvihill;

Read the full article ↗ · Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Neighbours — other names from the same counties

Bell · Antrim, Down Campbell · Antrim, Down Ferguson · Antrim, Down Graham · Down, Antrim Jenkins · Antrim, Down Johnston · Down, Antrim Magee · Antrim, Down McKeown · Antrim, Down Morrison · Antrim, Down Thompson · Antrim, Down Wilson · Antrim, Down Adams · Antrim Beattie · Antrim Bermingham · Galway

Quick answers

Is Mitchell an Irish name?

Mitchell came from the Norse settlers who arrived from the 9th century, founded the port towns and married into Gaelic Ireland. The name reached us through Irish. In Irish the name is Mistéil.

What does the surname Mitchell mean?

Mitchell (Irish: Mistéil) means “from Michael”. Origin: Norse-Scots.

Where in Ireland is the surname Mitchell from?

The historic homeland of the Mitchell name is Antrim, Down, Galway. People moved, so the name can be found far beyond it.

What is the Irish for Mitchell?

Mistéil.

Looking for the Mitchell family crest? Read this first — arms belong to people, not surnames, and the honest version is more interesting. Tracing Mitchell ancestors? The step-by-step guide.

Not your spelling? Try the full A–Z. Know more about the Mitchell name? Add to the story.