Bell Name Meaning
Scottish
and northern English: from Middle English belle ‘bell’, in various
applications; most probably a metonymic occupational name for a bell ringer or
bell maker, or a topographic name for someone living ‘at the bell’ (as attested
by 14th-century forms such as John atte Belle). This indicates either residence
by an actual bell (e.g. a town’s bell in a bell tower, centrally placed to
summon meetings, sound the alarm, etc.) or ‘at the sign of the bell’, i.e. a
house or inn sign (although surnames derived from house and inn signs are rare
in Scots and English).Scottish and northern English: from the medieval personal
name Bel. As a man’s name this is from Old French beu, bel ‘handsome’, which
was also used as a nickname. As a female name it represents a short form of
Isobel, a form of Elizabeth.Scottish: Americanized form of Gaelic Mac Giolla
Mhaoil ‘son of the servant of the devotee’ (see Mullen 1).Jewish (Ashkenazic):
Americanized form of one or more like-sounding Jewish surnames.Norwegian:
habitational name from a farmstead in western Norway named Bell, the origin of
which is unexplained.Scandinavian: of English or German origin; in German as a
habitational name for someone from Bell in Rhineland, Germany, or possibly from
Belle in Westphalia.Americanized spelling of German Böhl or Böll (see Boehle,
Boll).
No comments:
Post a Comment