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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The present generation of the Housel family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the settlement of Housley Hall in Ecclesfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The surname Housel was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from medieval times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Housel research. Another 35 words (2 lines of text) covering the year 1379 is included under the topic Early Housel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Housel include Housely, Houseley, Hously, Housley and others.
Distinguished members of the family include
In the United States, the name Housel is the 13,495th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Housel were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Joseph Hously, who sailed to Philadelphia in 1732; Joachim Housely to Philadelphia in 1739; and Joseph Howsley to Philadelphia in 1858.