DEVILLE
Recorded variant spellings include De Ville, De-Ville, de Ville
Deville is a surname of French origin, traditionally associated with the Old French element ville meaning “town” or “settlement.” The name was first employed as a locational identifier for individuals who hailed from a place called Ville or a similarly named settlement in France.
In the medieval period, the surname was adopted in England as a topographical marker distinguishing those who lived in a village or town from those residing in isolated farmsteads or the countryside. Its derivation from the Latin villa, signifying a country house or estate, later expanded to denote a group of houses forming a settlement.
Early English records list the surname in several spellings. In 1184 Walter Daiville was mentioned in Lincolnshire; by 1198 Roger de Diville appears in Norfolk and in 1251 Roger Deyvill is recorded in Yorkshire. The 1285 Feudal Aids of Leicestershire contain the entry Cotesdeyvill for Cotes de Val, indicating a Deville family originating from Normandy.
The name is sometimes specifically locational, describing an origin from Deville in Seine‑Inferieur, Normandy. Such locational surnames were typically assigned to local landowners or lords of a manor, providing a means of identification for those who left their birthplace to settle elsewhere.
During the early seventeenth century, the surname was reintroduced into England by French Huguenot refugees who fled religious persecution. Notably, on 22 January 1604 Jenne, daughter of Antoinne and Elinne De Ville, was christened at the Threadneedle Street French Huguenot Church in London; 3 February 1754 Susanne, daughter of Jacques Louis and Marguerite Deville, was likewise christened at the Glasshouse Street French Huguenot Church, also in London.
The first securely documented instance of the family name is that of Robert de Daivill, dated 1175 in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire during the reign of King Henry I, who is known as “The Builder of Churches.” This early record confirms the existence of the surname in England during the mid‑eleventh century.
Thus the Deville surname reflects a long‑standing French heritage, an early presence in England, and a history tied to both topographical and locational origins, as well as to the migration of Huguenot refugees in the 1600s.
Typical given names associated with the Deville surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Arthur
- David
- James
- John
- Joseph
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Steve
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Amy
- Diane
- Emma
- Josephine
- Julie
- Lesley
- Lisa
- Marie
- Mary
- Michelle
- Rosemary
- Sarah
- Susan
- Valerie
Similar and related surnames
- Deaville
- Davall
- Davel
- Davalle
- Davill
- Davell
- Davil
- Daffell
- Devill
- Devilla
- Dafaalla
- Dafalla
- Daflou
- Daval
- Davala
- Davallo
- Davalou
- Daviel
- Davila
- Davilla
- Daville
- Davoile
- Davoli
- Davolio
- Davoll
- Deauville
- Deavall
- Deavila
- Deavile
- Deavill
- Deavoll
- Deffell
- Devaal
- Deval
- Devale
- Devalia
- Devall
- Devalla
- Devalle
- Devalve
- Develi
- Devell
- Develle
- Devellen
- Devellis
- Develly
- Deverille
- Deviell
- Devielle
- Devil
- Devile
- Devillez
- Devilly
- Devlia
- Devoil
- Devol
- Devoll
- Devolle
- Devolli
- Devwill
- Dewfall
- Dievell
- Diffel
- Diffell
- Diffill
- Dival
- Divale
- Divall
- Diveli
- Divell
- Divelli
- Douville
- Doval
- Dovale
- Dovall
- Dovel
- Dovell
- Dovlo
- Dufall
- Dufeal
- Dufell
- Duffall
- Duffel
- Duffell
- Duffiel
- Duffil
- Duffile
- Duffill
- Duffle
- Duval
- Duvall
- Duvalle
- Duvel
- Duvell
- Tafel
- Taffel
- Taffell
- Tavell
- Tavella
- Tavelli
- Tavill
- Taville
- Teiffel
- Teofilo
- Teufel
- Tivell
- Tivelle
- Tivoli
- Tofalli
- Toffel
- Toffell
- Toffoli
- Toffolo
- Tofil
- Toivola
- Tophill
- Touvell
- Tovall
- Tovel
- Tovell
- Tovil
- Tovill
- Tufail
- Tuffail
- Tuffell
- Tuffill
- Tuval
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Deville in...
Braille
⠙⠑⠧⠊⠇⠇⠑
Morse
-......-...-...-...
Semaphore
There are approximately 866 people named Deville in the UK. That makes it roughly the 8,258th most common surname in Britain. Around 13 in a million people in Britain are named Deville.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Deville
- Roger de Ville - Cricketer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.