EDGELL
Edgell is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Old English word ecg, which meant “edge” or “sword”. The name traditionally functioned as a topographic surname, given to a person who lived near an edge or boundary such as a cliff, a fold of land or a border. It may also have been used as a nickname for someone whose character was described as sharp or cutting.
The earliest confirmed record of the surname appears in the legal documents of the late thirteenth century. In 1273 a man named John Edde is noted in Oxford, and in 1278 William Eggel is mentioned in Essex. By 1314 a William Edesonne is found in Stafford. Later parish registers provide further evidence, for instance John Edgeson who married Mary Needler at St Dionis Backchurch in London on 16 April 1640, and Edward Edgson who married at St Mary’s Lewisham on 27 August 1746.
During the medieval period the name and its variants were broadly recorded under different spellings. These included Edd, Edds, Edge, Egdell, Egdal, Edgkin, Edgeson, Edgson, Edgekins and, less frequently, Edegkinson. The variety of spellings can be traced back to the absence of a fixed orthography in early English and to distinct regional pronunciations.
A related form, ecgheala meaning “corner or edge of land”, is recorded in the twelfth century as a place name in Norfolk. The first it is identified with a man named Roger de Ekgehala, a Norman knight who gained a grant of that territory after the Conquest. The surname was subsequently adopted by families who held land situated close to an edge of the country. This usage is corroborated by the earliest name bearer whose documented presence in the United States is William Edgell, an early settler of Massachusetts Bay. Court records show his activity in 1638, 1639, 1641 and 1650, and he served alongside other colonists in the Pequot War and held a commission in the Duxbury Artillery Company.
In modern times the name is comparatively uncommon. It is most frequently found within the United Kingdom, especially in England, and in the United States where the bulk of bearers reside in the state of Massachusetts. The surname can also be found, though more rarely, in California, New York, North Carolina, Hawaii and other regions of the United States. Outside of North America the name appears in cities such as London, as well as in rural districts across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Internationally it occurs in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, India and a few other countries. The dispersion of the name reflects the historical activities of early bearers, particularly those who emigrated during the seventeenth century.
Variant spellings of Edgell have included Edgel, Edgill, Edgalle, Egel, Eggel, Egget, Edge, Edgely and Edgley. Because of the different phonetic patterns of English and of other European languages, related surnames such as Eadgill, Eddall, Eddyll, Eggull, Adgel, Addgill and Edgecombe have often been cited in genealogical research. Foreign variants also exist; for instance, Hdedel in Dutch, Edel or Edele in German, and Edel in Norwegian and Swedish. The United Kingdom name may sometimes be confused with surnames of similar origin such as Egil in Scandinavia, Égél in Hungary or Égäl in Finland, yet each originates from distinct linguistic roots.
Typical given names associated with the Edgell surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- David
- James
- Jeremy
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Bonita
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Jennifer
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Pamela
- Sally
- Sandra
- Susan
- Tania
- Wendy
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Edgell in...
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There are approximately 960 people named Edgell in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,598th most common surname in Britain. Around 15 in a million people in Britain are named Edgell.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Edgell
- Beatrice Edgell - Psychologist (1871 to 1948)
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.