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The history of the Birdsell family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Suffolk, where the family could be found since the early Middle Ages.
The surname Birdsell was first found in Suffolk at Burstall, a village and civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Burgestala 1 and literally meant "site of a fort or stronghold," from the Old English word "burh-stall." 2
The parish of Birdsall in the union of Malton, wapentake of Buckrose in the East Riding of Yorkshire 3 could have been another possible origin point for the family. This parish also dates back to the Domesday Book when it was recorded as Brideshala 1 and meant "nook of land of a man called Bridd." 2
West Yorkshire is where we found the first entry for the family. Here at Kirkstall, now a suburb of Leeds, William de Briddesale was recorded as holding lands in 1167. Years later, we found Robert de Brideshal in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1251 and later again, Thomas Birdsall was listed as a Freeman of York in 1446. 4
Robert de Bridsall was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Birdsell research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1206, 1230, 1273, 1316, 1655, 1769 and 1877 are included under the topic Early Birdsell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Birdsell include Burstall, Burstal, Burstalle, Birstall, Birkestalle, Berstall, Byrstall, Burstow, Burstoe and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Birdsell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Birdsell is the 13,852nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Birdsell or a variant listed above:
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: