VEALE
Veale is an English surname whose origins can be traced to both Old English and Old French linguistic roots. It is a name which came into use largely as a nickname, reflecting physical traits or occupations.
In Old English the word fæl means “pale” or “fair”, and is thought to have been applied to a person with light skin. Another Old English term, fela, meaning “much” or “many”, suggests that the surname could have been used to denote a lively or cheerful individual. The evolution of pronunciation and spelling over centuries yielded the modern form Veale, with earlier variants such as Veal, Veall, Veel, Veyell, Veille and Vealle also recorded.
Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, the name was introduced to the British Isles from pre‑10th‑century French. Two earlier French derivations are plausible: the word veel, meaning “calf”, indicating a dealer or breeder of calves, and the word viel, meaning “old”, which could have functioned as an affectionate nickname or baptismal label. The earliest documented instance is that of Richard le Vele, a witness at the Assize Court of Somerset in 1270, during the reign of King Henry XII. The surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273 as Thomas le Veyle, and in Gloucestershire in 1576 as Edward Veele. Church records from the early seventeenth century record marriages and baptisms of Veale families in Stepney, Clerkenwell, and elsewhere.
Geographically, Veale is predominantly a southwestern English name, with a strong concentration in the counties of Gloucestershire, Devon and Somerset. Its presence in Ireland is largely the result of anglicisation of the Welsh surname Vyvyan or of the Gaelic name O Bheolain, whereby the initial B is rendered as V. In Scotland the surname is rare, surviving in records from the sixteenth century, while in Canada the name is found at a higher frequency due to nineteenth‑century migration from the United Kingdom.
In modern times, descendants of the Veale line are found throughout the United Kingdom, with notable communities in Australia, the United States, and other former British colonies. The continuity of the name is maintained through genealogical societies and online databases, which allow individuals to trace the various branches that have dispersed worldwide.
Typical given names associated with the Veale surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Ann
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Jennifer
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Patricia
- 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 Veale in...
Braille
⠧⠑⠁⠇⠑
Morse
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There are approximately 2,167 people named Veale in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,932nd most common surname in Britain. Around 33 in a million people in Britain are named Veale.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Veale
- John Veale - Composer (1922 to 2006)
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.