FUNNELL
Funnell is an English surname traditionally associated with the British Isles, and it appears to have emerged in England as a Christian family name.
The etymology of Funnell can be traced to the Middle English word fongel, meaning a funnel. This suggests that the name was originally an occupational surname, given to individuals who either crafted or utilised funnels for pouring liquids or other substances into containers. Such work would have been performed by metalworkers, blacksmiths, brewers or other craftsmen dealing with liquids in a trade environment.
Records indicate that the surname was first regularly documented in Sussex church registers from the late fifteenth century. The earliest known spelling is that of William Funnell, dated 1483 in the birth registers of Chiddingly, East Sussex, during the reign of King Richard II.
There is scholarly discussion that the name may have either Anglo‑Saxon or Old French origins. If Anglo‑Saxon, Funnell is considered a variant of Fennell, a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of fennel, derived from the Old English word for the herb, itself ultimately from the Latin fenuculum, a diminutive of f(a)enum meaning hay. The herb was widely used in medieval sauce and seasoning, and a number of individuals bearing the name (e.g. Henry atte Fenegle of Sussex, 1332) appear in contemporary documents such as subsidy rolls.
Alternatively, the name could be a variant of Furnell, a locational surname originating from one of the French places called Fournal or Fournel, themselves derived from the Old French fournel meaning furnace. Historical references include an Alan de Furnell noted in the 1191 Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire.
Derivative forms such as Fennel, Furnell and Funnell attest to a pattern of name evolution which often involved interchange of spelling when surnames were recorded in parish and court documents. The evolution of the name over generations demonstrates the common practice of hereditary family names emerging from occupational or geographic terms during the late Middle Ages.
Therefore, the surname Funnell exemplifies the way in which English surnames can arise from a combination of occupational usage and locational reference, illustrating a broader pattern of surname formation in medieval England.
Typical given names associated with the Funnell surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Simon
Female
- Barbara
- Christine
- Emma
- Joan
- Joanne
- Linda
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Susan
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 Funnell in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 3,258 people named Funnell in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,790th most common surname in Britain. Around 50 in a million people in Britain are named Funnell.
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 Funnell
- Jenny Funnell - Actress
- Pippa Funnell - Equestrian
- Harry Funnell - Cricketer
- Simon Funnell - Football player
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.