Contents [hide]

Seller History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Seller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland
England

The ancestors of the Seller surname date back to the Pictish clans of ancient Scotland, Seller was used as a name for a merchant, someone who worked in cellars, and a saddler. Seller is an occupational surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Occupational surnames were derived from the primary activity of the bearer. In the Middle Ages, people did not generally live off of the fruits of their labor in a particular job. Rather, they performed a specialized task, as well as farming, for subsistence. Other occupational names were derived from an object associated with a particular activity. This type of surname is called a metonymic surname. This surname applies to a variety of occupations. In the case of a merchant, the surname Seller derives from an ancient derivitave of the Old English word, sell(en), which means, to sell. It also comes from the Old English word, sellan, which means to hand over, or deliver. In the sense of a person who worked in cellars, Seller is a metonymic occupational name, which comes from the Anglo Norman French word, celler. The cellars referred to in this example, would have been in mansions and other great houses. In the final case, that of a saddler, the surname Seller comes from the Anglo Norman French word, seller, which is a derivative of the Latin word sellarius, which means seat, or saddle. This ancient occupation was extremely important in the Middle Ages, as horses were the primary mode of transportation.

Early Origins of the Seller family

The surname Seller was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Seller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Seller research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1281, 1482, 1630, 1646, 1671, 1698, 1700 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Seller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seller Spelling Variations

In the Middle ages, spelling and translation were not yet regulated by any general rules. spelling variations in names were common even among members of one family unit. Seller has appeared Sellers, Sellars, Sellors and others.

Early Notables of the Seller family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

John Seller (ca. 1630-1698), English hydrographer and compass maker who published the first sailing directions for England in 1671, eponym of the Seller Glacier, Antarctica. Abednego Seller (c. 1646-1...
John Seller (fl. 1700), was hydrographer to the king, compiler, publisher, and seller of maps, charts, and geographical books, and was for many years settled at the Hermitage in Wapping. He had also a...

Seller migration to the United States +

Faced by this persecution and the generally unstable political climate of those days, many Scots chose to leave their homeland for Ireland, Australia, and North America in search of greater opportunity and freedom. The colonies across the Atlantic were the most popular choice, but a passage there was neither cheap nor easily suffered. Passengers arrived sick and poor, but those who made it intact often found land and more tolerant societies in which to live. These brave settlers formed the backbone of the burgeoning nations of Canada and the United States. It is only this century that the ancestors of these families have begun to recover their collective identity through the patriotic highland games and Clan societies that have sprung up throughout North America. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Seller:

Seller Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Seller, who landed in Virginia in 1657 1

Seller Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jean Seller, who arrived in Louisiana in 1721 with a child
Henderick Philip Seller, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1728 1
Philip Henry Seller, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1728 1
Jacob Seller, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1729 1
Jacob, Seller Jr., who landed in Pennsylvania in 1729 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Seller, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 1
R. Seller, who settled in Boston in 1822
Richard Seller, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1855 1
Bernard H Seller, who landed in California in 1894 1

Seller migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Seller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Seller, a carpenter, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. Stephen Seller, (b. 1834), aged 20, Cornish miner, from Falmouth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Lady Elgin" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 4th August 1854 2

Seller migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Seller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Seller, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Seller (post 1700) +

Jeffrey Seller, American Tony-Award-winning theatrical producer, best known for his work on Rent (1996), Avenue Q (2003), In the Heights (2008) and Hamilton (2015)
Wolf Dieter Seller, retired West German slalom canoeist who won silver and bronze medals
Chris Seller (b. 1977), Canadian former professional indoor lacrosse player who won gold at the 2006 World Lacrosse Championship and silver at the 2002 World Lacrosse Championship

Citations +

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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf