Show ContentsHaskel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Haskel name came to Britain with the Normans. It derives from any of a number of Scandinavian personal names, including the Old Norse name Askell, the Old Danish name Eskil, and the Old Swedish name Æskil, a contracted form of Asketill. Some of the forms found in Normandy, France included Anschetill, Anketill, Asketin and Anquetin.

Early Origins of the Haskel family

The surname Haskel was first found in Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy), where the family held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Haskel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haskel research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Haskel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haskel Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Haskel have included Haskell, Haskel, Askell, Askel, Askill, Askil, Hascall, Hascal, Haskill and many more.

Early Notables of the Haskel family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

  • Haskell of Monmouth

Migration of the Haskel family

Many Welsh families joined their Scottish and Irish neighbors during the late 1800s and early 1900s in seeking refuge in North America. Like the Irish and Scottish, many Welsh anxiously awaited the work, freedom, and opportunities that they believed lay in North America. Those who did journey over to the United States and what became known as Canada often realized those dreams, but only through much toil and perseverance. Whenever and however these Welsh immigrants arrived in North America, they were instrumental in the creation of the industry, commerce, and cultural heritage within those two developing nations. In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Haskel were found: Mark Haskell, who settled in Boston in 1620; along with Roger Haskell, who later moved to Salem with William Haskell; Charles Haskell, who arrived in Texas in 1835.


Contemporary Notables of the name Haskel (post 1700) +

  • Harry Haskel, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 16th District, 1932 1
  • Prof. Jonathan Edward Haskel C.B.E., British Professor of Economics for Imperial College London, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Economics 2
  • Abraham Haskel Taub (1911-1999), American mathematician and physicist


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  2. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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