Show ContentsDe ville History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

De ville Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of De ville

What does the name De ville mean?

This surname "occurs in many languages; but the only instance of it which I recollect in England is that of the monk, Willelmus cognomento Diabolus. The French De Ville, naturalized amongst us, has often been misunderstood to be the synonym of Satan, and various vowel changes have been made by the bearers of it to avoid this very objectionable notion. Hence it is commonly written Divall, Divoll, Devall, &c., while in records Devol, Devile, Deyvil, &c., are found." 1

One source notes: "they were from Deville or Davidville in Neufchatel in Normandy." 2 3

Early Origins of the De ville family

The surname De ville was first found in Sussex where "the first mention we meet with regarding the descendants of this knight is in the reign of henry I. when Nigel de Albini, being enfeoffed by the crown of the manor of Egmanton, Notts, conferred it upon Robert D'Eivill, who appears to have been ancestor of John D'Eivill, Governor of York Castle, a potent Baron of the time of Henry III., and one of the most active against the Royal Cause. " 4

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Robert de Durevill was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1201; Hugh Durival was found in Eynsham, Oxfordshire in 1300; Sibill Doryual was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1332. 5

A search through the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 discovered early entries without the "D" prefix: Nicholas de Eyvill in Nottinghamshire; and John de Eyville also in Nottinghamshire. 6

Early History of the De ville family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our De ville research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1107, 1577, 1603, 1650, 1662, 1683, 1713, 1877 and 1883 are included under the topic Early De ville History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

De ville Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Daivile, Daiville, Darville, Daivilla, Darvall, Darvill, Davell, Davall, Dovalle, De Vall, d'Vall, Deyville, Deville, Devill, Devil, Deyville and many more.

Early Notables of the De ville family

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

De ville Ranking

In the United States, the name De ville is the 7,100th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7 However, in France, the name De ville is ranked the 927th most popular surname with an estimated 5,596 people with that name. 8

De ville migration to the United States +



De ville Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Joh Leonard Deville, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 9
  • John DeVille, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 9
  • Charles Deville, who settled in Philadelphia in 1796
De ville Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Victor DeVille, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 9

De ville migration to Australia +

De ville Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Deville, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10

Contemporary Notables of the name De ville (post 1700) +

  • Winston De Ville (1937-2025), American historian focusing on colonial Mississippi Valley/provincial Louisiana genealogy and history
  • Ethel Glenn DeVille, American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia Democratic State Executive Committee, 1949 11
  • Michel Deville (1931-2023), French film director and screenwriter
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  4. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  9. 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)
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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