Adel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

The surname Adel is an occupational surname, derived from the Old German roots adel, which means noble, and mann, which means man. The surname identifies the bearer as a member of the nobility, which makes this a surname of office. This surname is associated with Swabia, a region in the southwest of Germany. The place name survives today only as the name for a mountain range running across the region where Swabia used to be. In the 1st century, Swabia was settled by the tribe of the Sueben who came from central Germany, and drove the Celts to Gaul (France). The Sueben prince Ariovist was defeated by Caesar in battle at Mulhouse, Alsace in 58 BC. Following the end of the Roman era, the Germanic Alemans from the north and the Bajuvaren from the east entered the region between 300 and 500 AD. They were in turn defeated by the Franks under Clovis in 496. The whole kingdom became eventually known as Alemannia. The dukedom of Swabia, formed in the 10th century, was ruled by the Hohenstaufen family from 1079, until they died out in 1268, when the counts of Wuerttemberg took control. Two other imperial dynasties also came from Swabia: theHapsburgs and the Hohenzollerns, who were the Kings of Prussia and the last German emperors until 1918. Today, the area is called Baden-Württemberg.

Early Origins of the Adel family

The surname Adel was first found in Swabia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region, whose family seat lay in the area of Ellwangen. Chronicles mention this family as early as 878, though the first individual to be recorded was Seyfried von Adelmannsfelden in 1236.

The variation Adel is known as early as 1189 where chronicles mention Adelo, a minister in Eichstaett. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

The Ahlers and Aler(s) variants were patronymic having been derived from "adal-hari," or "adel-leger." 1

Early History of the Adel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Adel research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1687, 1728, 1790 and 1805 are included under the topic Early Adel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Adel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Adelmann, Adelman, Adellman, Adellmann, Adelmanns, Adellmanns and many more.

Early Notables of the Adel family

Notables with the surname Adel during this period were

Johann von Adelmann, who was a leader ("Grossmeister") of the German Order, and Johann Christoph, provost at Ellwangen until 1687

Adel migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Adel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Adam Adel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1730 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Adel (post 1700) +

Allister Adel (1976-2022), American 29th County Attorney for Maricopa County, Arizona, from 2019 to 2022, the first woman to hold the position
Frank F. Adel (1884-1967), American politician, Member of New York State Senate 2nd District, 1919; Justice of New York Supreme Court, 1932-54 3

Citations +

Debrabandere, Frans Verklarend woordenboek van de familienamen in België en Noord-Frankrijk Grondig Herziene Uiitgave, 1993. Digital
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html