Show ContentsSella History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Sella comes from when the family resided in the parish of Sellick found in the county of Herefordshire. The surname Sella is a habitation name which forms a broad category of surnames that were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Sella family

The surname Sella was first found in Herefordshire 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 Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Sella family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sella research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1250 and 1450 are included under the topic Early Sella History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sella Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Sella include Sellick, Selleck, Sellock, Sellock, Sellecke, Seliock, Sellighe, Sellioke and many more.

Early Notables of the Sella family

More information is included under the topic Early Sella Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Sella migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Sella Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Sella, aged 18, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1807 [1]
  • Juan Sella, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1822 [1]
  • Luisa Sella, aged 27, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1825 [1]
  • Miguel Sella, aged 19, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1830 [1]


  1. 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)


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