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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.
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
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.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Adelmann, Adelman, Adellman, Adellmann, Adelmanns, Adellmanns and many more.
Notables with the surname Adel during this period were