Seele History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Seele came from in the parish of Seal which had various locations in England including the counties of Northumberland, Leicester, Surrey and Kent.

However, the name could have originated from a variety of sources. It could be one who worked at the hall from the Old English word "sele," 1 or, perhaps, "dweller by the sallow copse" from the Old English "siele," or "sele." 2

Early Origins of the Seele family

The surname Seele was first found in Devon where Ralph de la Sele was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1168. Roger Sele was also listed in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1198. 2

"The Seals of the Derby district may hail originally from Seal, a Leicestershire parish close to the Derbyshire border." 3

Today Seele could also be a Bengali Hindu Brahmin family name which literally means "the quality of being devoted."

Early History of the Seele family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Seele research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Seele History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seele Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Seele has been recorded under many different variations, including Seal, Seale, Seel, Sealey, Sealy, Seally, Sealley and others.

Early Notables of the Seele family

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

Migration of the Seele family to Ireland

Some of the Seele family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seele migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Seele or a variant listed above:

Seele Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Frans Seele, aged 17, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 4

Seele Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hermann Seele, who landed in Texas in 1844 4
Christian Seele, aged 32, who landed in Missouri in 1848 4

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)