Sharnell

The name Sharnell is a relatively modern anglicized spelling of the French name Charnelle. The French name derives from the Latin word carnalis, meaning "fleshly" or "physical". It emerged as a given name during the Middle Ages in western Europe.

In medieval Christian tradition, the concept of carnalis was often contrasted with spiritualis or "spiritual". As a name, Charnelle may have been intended to signify the physical or worldly nature of the person, in contrast to more overtly spiritual names derived from saints or biblical figures.

The earliest recorded example of the name Charnelle dates back to 1272 in records from the Duchy of Burgundy in what is now eastern France. A noblewoman named Charnelle de Montbéliard was mentioned in a charter from that year.

Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, scattered examples of the name appear in medieval records across France, particularly in the northern regions. Charnelle Lefevre, born around 1380 in Paris, was a noted embroiderer and one of the first professional women artists whose name is recorded.

As the spelling evolved over centuries, variations emerged like Charnelle, Charnell, Sharnelle, and the modern Sharnell. The latter became more common as an anglicized form in the 19th century, though it remained quite rare overall.

One of the earliest prominent figures named Sharnell was British mathematician and astronomer Mary Sharnell, born in 1825. She made important contributions to celestial mechanics and the study of planetary orbits.

American actress and singer Sharnell Jones, born in 1933, was an early African American film star who appeared in movies like Kid Galahad and The Benny Goodman Story in the 1940s and 50s.

Sharnell Donaldson, born in 1960 in South Carolina, was an Olympic athlete who competed in sprinting events for the United States in the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics.