Fella 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 Fella family

The surname Fella 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 Fella family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fella 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 Fella History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fella Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Fella 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...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fella Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fella migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fella Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Vicente Fella, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1813 3
Agustin Fella, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1833 3
Pedro DeLa Fella, who arrived in Peru in 1834 3
Luis Fella, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1875 3

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)
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)