Show ContentsBerell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Berell family

The surname Berell was first found in North Yorkshire at Burrill, a small village in the Hambleton district that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Borel. [1] It literally meant "hill with a fort," from the Old English words "burh" + "hyll." [2]

"This name is early found upon the Border, particularly in the East Marches. Henry Burel witnessed charter of the church of Pencathlan to the Abbey of Kelso c. 1180. William Bwrel attested a document concerning the land of Cnoc in Renfrew, 1234. William Burel witnessed gift of land in Ayton to William Scot of Coldingham, c. 1250. [3]

Early rolls revealed the name as both a forename and a surname. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Johanna, relicta Burel, Oxfordshire; Burellus de Rathesnese, Norfolk; and Emma Burel, Norfolk. Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Willelmus Burell; and Johannes Borell as both holding lands there at that time. [4]

"Burrell has long been a Lincolnshire name. In Cromwell's time, Sir John Burrell of Dunsby and Redman Burrell, Esq., of Fulbeck, compounded their estates for £687 and £770 respectively (O.). The name is also now found in Norfolk. Burrell was the name of a noted family of Kent and Sussex during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, and one of the Burrells of Beckenham, Kent, was High Sheriff of Kent in 1722; Northumberland is stated to have been the home of the family in the reign of Edward I. " [5]

Farther south in Cornwall, "Burell [in the parish of Saltash] has been the seat of a family of this name for many generations. This residence can be traced back prior to the reign of Edward II. at which period one of them married the co-heiress of Woodland. The present possessor is Arthur Burell, Esq. but he is not known to have descended from the ancient family, who formerly had their seat here." [6]

Over the years, extensions of the root name were found including John Burelman in London in 1311. [7]

Early History of the Berell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Berell research. Another 278 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1069, 1285, 1357, 1391, 1449, 1473, 1477, 1482, 1504, 1536, 1542, 1544, 1551, 1567, 1573, 1589, 1590, 1605, 1645, 1653, 1657 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Berell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Berell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Burrell, Burrel, Birrell, Burrill, Burril, Birril, Berrill and many more.

Early Notables of the Berell family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Abraham Burrell (1589-1657), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Huntingdon (1645-1653), supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War. Robert Birrel (fl. 1567-1605), was a Scottish diarist and Burgess of Edinburgh."There is not much minuteness in the record of events till about 1567, when Birrel probably began to keep a note of them. There is no evidence in the 'Diary' regarding the political or religious views of the writer...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Berell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Berell family to Ireland

Some of the Berell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Berell family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: George Burrell who settled in Lynn Massachusetts in 1630; John Burrell settled in Boston in 1635; Robert settled in Virginia in 1663 with his wife and three children.


Contemporary Notables of the name Berell (post 1700) +

  • Benjamin Berell Ferencz (1920-2023), American lawyer and investigator of Nazi war crimes after World War II, chief prosecutor for the United States Army at the Einsatzgruppen trial, one of the 12 Subsequent Nuremberg trials held by US authorities at Nuremberg, Germany


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  6. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  7. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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