Gell Family Crest & Name History

Whether you spell it Gell or Gill, the story begins in the same place. The name is generally explained as “Dweller by a ravine, or from Gilbert”.

Heraldry and the Gell name

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Gill surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon.

A variant of Gill

Gell writes “e” in place of the “i” found in Gill, a typical scribal difference. Local scribes, dialects and emigration all left their mark on how the name was written. Related forms: Gills.

In the 2010 US Census, 518 Americans gave Gell as their last name (rank 41,959). Gell sounds close to Gehl, so it can help to search both. For the full story, order the Gell surname pack.