Fel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The name was derived from the place named Fell in Cumberland which in turn was derived from the Icelandic name "fell" which meant a "fell or wild hill."

Early Origins of the Fel family

The surname Fel was first found in Dundee where "the Fells afford an instance of an occupation being hereditary in a family, the earliest recorded of the name i.e. in Dundee being Finlay Fell, butcher, who was admitted burgess on 7th June 1533. The trade descended from father to son for more than a century." 1

"This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the fell,' from residence on or near the fell; 'by frith and fell,' a common phrase in early poetry; a fell was a hill or moor open and unenclosed. Sheep that graze on such scanty pastures are called fell-sheep in Furness. " 2

Early History of the Fel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fel research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1584, 1598, 1614, 1625, 1649, 1658, 1686, 1700 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Fel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fell, Fells and others.

Early Notables of the Fel family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Samuel Fell D.D. (1584-1649), an English academic and clergyman, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford
Thomas Fell (1598-1658), vice-chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster
John Fell (1625-1686), an English churchman, Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, and later Bishop of Oxford
Leonard Fell (died 1700), an English Quaker from Beckliff, or Baycliff, Lancashire

Migration of the Fel family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Caspar, Charles, Henry, James, John, Mary, Phillip, Richard, Robert, and Thomas Fell all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1804 and 1850; Henry Fell settled in Virginia in 1623.

Citations +

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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)