This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Arnold'; the French Arnoud. With the corruption Arnott, compare Archbutt for Archibald. Of course Arnold is now practically forgotten as a personal name in England. Nevertheless it was very popular in its day, and being in great favour just when fontal names were candidates for immortality as surnames, it is not to be wondered at that Arnold and its variants and corruptions are familiar to all our directories at the close of the 19th century. I only furnish a few instances. The United States has such continental forms as Arnhold and Arnholt.

Arnald or Amard Atte-broke, Essex, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Walter fil. Arnald, Lincolnshire, ibid.

Stephen Arnold, Kent ibid.

John fil. Arnoldi. Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Ayelina relicta Arnold, Huntingdonshire, ibid.

Warin Arnold, or Ernold, Norwich, 1486: History of Norfolk.

1611. John Arnold and Winifred Nelham: Marriage Lic. (London).

The ME. personal name Arnald. Old English Earnweald. Aeenald (Ernald, Ernold) or Arnold, second abbot of Kelso, was elected bishop of St. Andrews, 1160. William le fiz Arnaud (the French form of the name), king's tenant in counte de Linlescu and Henry le fiz Arnaud del counte de Selkirk rendered homage 1296 (Bain, II, p. 201,203). The seal of the latter shows a hunting-horn, stringed, S' Henrici f Arnuni (ibid., p. 553). W. Arnold in Saltcoats, 1816.

From the lands of Arnot in the parish of Portmoak, Kinross-shire. The family was settled there from the middle of the twelfth century (Fordell, p. 14), and in 1284 the lands are mentioned as being in possession of Michael de Arnoth. David Arnot of Fyfe rendered homage in 1296 (Bain, II, p. 204). The island of Ellenabot in Loch Lomond was confirmed to Matilda de Arnoth c. 1320 (Levenax, p. 83). Michael de Arnot, one of the garrison of Edinburgh Castle in 1337 (Bain, III, p. 363) may be the Michael de Arnoth mentioned in a letter of David de Manuel relating to the land of Kynglassy in 1340 (RD., p. 225). Henricus de Arnot, knight, attested to the marches of Kyrknes and Louchor in 1395 (RPSA., p. 5). The first of the family of Arnot of Lochrig, in the parish of Stewarton, Ayrshire, was John de Arnot whose name occurs as one of the jury in a cause between the burgh of Irvine and William Fraunces of Stane in 1417 (Irvine, I, p. 20). Edward Arnott was repledged to the liberty of the burgh of Irvine in 1472 (ibid., p. 28), and in 1429 the lands of Arnot in the sheriffdom of Fyff were wanted to John de Arnutis (RMS., II, 135). John de Arnot, dominus ejusdem, occurs in the fifteenth century (RD., p. 301), and David Ernot who appears as archdeacon of Lothian in 1502 (Bain, IV, 1691), later became bishop of Galloway (Dowden, p. 371). The surname was not uncommon in Edinburgh in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and George Arnot was a merchant burgess there in 1627 (RPC., 2. ser. II, p. 26). Hugo Arnot published a History of Edinburgh in 1816. Arnote 1581, Arnocht, Arnatt.

(French-Teut.) 1 Eagle. [O.H.Ger. Old Saxon arn = Old Norse arn, örn = Old English e)arn, eagle + the French diminutive suff. -ot] 2 for Arnold, q.v.

Place name in Kinrossshire, Scotland.

The personal name; also a parish in the county of Wilts.

Corruptions of Arnold.

(German.) The same as Ernold; from are or ehre, honor, and hold, faithful or devoted to—faithful to his honor. How unworthy of the name was the notorious Benedict!

Arnold. —Introduced by the Normans. Though widely scattered, it is confined south of a line from the Wash to the Mersey. It is at present most frequent in Warwickshire and Leicestershire. In the time of Edward I. it was numerously represented in Cambridgeshire (Hundred Rolls).