Varvel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Varvel

What does the name Varvel mean?

Varvel is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived near a pleasant spring or stream. The name Varvel is derived from two Old English elements: fæger, which means fair or beautiful; and well, which was the name for a spring. There is a parish Farewell in Staffordshire, two miles from Lichfield.

Early Origins of the Varvel family

The surname Varvel was first found in Staffordshire at Farewell, a parish, in the union of Lichfield, S. division of the hundred of Offlow. The earliest record of the place was in 1200 when it was listed as Fagerwell. 1

Early History of the Varvel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Varvel research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Varvel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Varvel Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Varvel family name include Farewell, Farwell, Fairwell and others.

Early Notables of the Varvel family

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

Migration of the Varvel family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Varvel surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James Farewell settled in Barbados in 1680 with his wife and servants.

Contemporary Notables of the name Varvel (post 1700) +

Keely Varvel, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 2000 2

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html