The surname Mitchell has two separate derivations. In the first it comes from the first name Michel, the Norman form of Michael. Michael is a name of great antiquity and comes from the Hebrew, where it means ‘Who is God?’. The Archangel Michael appears in the Book of Revelations, where he overcomes Satan and the powers of evil. This role has made him the patron saint of soldiers. The first name Michael started to become popular in Europe around the twelfth century, probably as a result of its ‘rediscovery’ during the Crusades to the Holy Land. It has always been particularly popular in Ireland, to such an extent that it is now often used in the form of Mick, as a (fairly derogatory) nickname for an Irishman. Michael is presently one of the most popular first names in the United States.

The second derivation of Mitchell is as a nickname from the Middle English word ‘muchel’, (in the North, ‘mickle’) which means ‘big’, hence Micklejohn, ‘big John’. The word survives today as ‘much’ in such place names as Much Haddington.

The original name Mitchell has many variations. Mitchel and Mitchelson are the most frequent, and Mitchenson and Mitchinson are both versions of Mitchelson. Other surnames from the same source are Michael and Michaels.

References to the name Michel began to appear in the records of the early thirteenth century. The earliest reference to it as a surname is in the Curia Regis Rolls for Northumberland. Here in 1205 the name Gilbert Michel is mentioned.

That example almost certainly comes from the first-name derivation.

One of the greatest best-sellers of all times, Gone With The Wind, was written by Margaret Mitchell (1900—49). This romantic chronicle of the American Civil War sold over one million copies within six months of publication. The film version, starring Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara and Clark Cable as Rhett Butler, was for many years the longest movie ever released and has been seen by more people than any other film made.

The Scottish-born explorer Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (1792—1855) began his adventurous career as an aide-de- camp to the Duke of Wellington in Spain. Later he explored uncharted regions of New South Wales in Australia, eventually laying out over 200 new towns and villages.

The many retail cooperatives throughout Britain and the US owe their existence to Lancashire-born John Thomas Whitehead Mitchell. He was the key figure in shaping the policies of the 1863 Cooperative Wholesale Society, basing the return of members’ dividends on their total purchases. Radical Socialist Beatrice Webb later successfully championed his ideas.

Mitcheldean, Mitchell and Mitchel Troy are name-related towns in the United Kingdom. Canada and Australia each have one Mitchell while the United States has 4 such towns and Ireland has a Mitchelstown. There are 2 Mitchell rivers in Australia, one in Canada and 2 Mitchell lakes in the United States. Australia has a Mitchell Point.

With about 22,000 namesakes Mitchell is Scotland’s 16th most popular surname. Thus about one out of every 230 Scots is named Mitchell. (The name is not common enough throughout England and Wales to be counted separately.) Mitchell is notably popular in and around Edinburgh where an estimated one in about 220 families bears the name, and in Glasgow where the figure is about one in 275. Around the world Mitchells are most common in Canberra (one in 500 families), Wellington (one in 542), Sydney (one in 631) and Melbourne (one in 639). The United States has more Mitchells than the entire population of Coventry-an estimated total of just over 390,000 makes this their 39th most popular surname.