I would like to know the origin of the surname Cantrell?

Question:

I would like to know the origin of the surname Cantrell?

My great grandfather's name was Deforest Cantrell
and everyone I could have asked concerning the origin of the name are now deceased.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: REGARDING THE COAT OF ARMS:
ARMS: "Argent, a pelican in her piety, in her nest sable."
CREST: "A tower argent, port sable."
MOTTO: "Proprio vos sanguine pasco", meaning...."I feed you of my own blood."

The Cantrell family coat of arms or crest was among the first recorded by Richard the III and can be found in the Heraldra College of Arms. This particular crest was registered to Cantrell families of Cheshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Berkshire, and Derbyshire.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE BIRD:
The pelican was one of the first emblems used in heraldry. Its simplicity indicates that it is very ancient. One of the earliest works on heraldry states: "The pelican was by the Egyptians made the hieroglyphic of maternal affection, for she, when her young ones had been bitten by serpents, that secretly invade their nest, launches her bosom and with the purple balsom that streams from the open sluice not only expels the infused venom, but likewise cements and cures the wounds inflicted by the noxious adversaries."
Another account gives the following:
"The pelican: The Egyptian priest used the Pelican for hieroglyphic to express the four duties of a father toward his children, whereof the first is GENERATION; second is his office of EDUCATION; third of TRAINING UP OR INSTRUCTION OF LEARNING; and the fourth and last, the DUTY OF INFORMING HIS CHILDREN WITH THE EXAMPLE OF HIS VIRTUOUS AND HONEST LIFE."
Webster's International Dictionary says basically the same as the former two, yet it adds that it was adopted as a symbol of the REDEEMER and of CHARITY.

Well now, with this in mind lets move on to the origin of the name CANTRELL.
(drum role please)...............
As we all know by now, Richard Cantrell was considered to be one of the first Cantrells in America. According to the media research burea of Washington DC, the Cantrells were quite prominent among the earliest settlers of the American colonies. So where do we come from? England? Maybe....
The name Cantrell has roughly about 15 different spellings: CHANTERELLE, CHANTEREL,CHANTREL, CHAUNTEREL, CHANTRELL, QUAYNTORELL, QUAYNTELL, CHAUNTRELL, CANTRILL, CANTRAL, CANTRALL, CANTRIL, CANTREL, QUANTRELL, AND FINALLY CANTRELL.
Why so many different spellings? The most simple and common explanation is thus: EDUCATION.... Basically the only people who could spell were either the rich nobility or the monks in the monestaries from the 10th centuries through at least the 15th, 16th centuries. Who knows, perhaps even later. Anyway, the name Cantrell is derived from CHANTERELLE, which has several meanings.
In French:
1. a chanterelle is a small bell.
(Perhaps our distant ancestor was a musician, it wouldn't be surprising...more on this later)
2. "the sounding string"
3. "one who likes to sing"

I can only speak for my family, but I find it ironic that many of my family members have been or still are musicians by trade. Probly only coicidence, but it makes for a good story.....

Anyway, the earliest definate records of the Cantrells date back to 1273 in Yorkshire (Alice Cainterel, Mmmmmm....another spelling?). So where did we come from? France? England? (hang on this gets better)

Here is my theory: I believe that our Cantrell ancestors (however they spelled it) were of NORMAN descent. Perhaps they were part of the Norman invasions into England, Scotland, and Ireland around 1066,and then just mixed into that culture over the years.

To close, here is some final information that may be of some use.....

There are about 40,000 Cantrells in the world right now. The USA contains most of them, but they are scattered throughout the world. THe countries besides the US that contain the majority of Cantrell are as follows:
2. England
3. Australia
4. Ireland/ Northern Ireland