Surname Origin

The Bell Surname


Meaning
bell-ringer, or 'the handsome'
Type
Multiple
Root
Old English / Old French
Chiefly
Northern England and the Borders

Three origins run together here: the bell-ringer or bell-founder, someone living at the sign of the bell, and the Old French bel, handsome. All three produced the same modern spelling.

In the Borders it is a reiving name of long standing.

Bestow the name a title it never had

An honorific Lord or Lady certificate in the Bell name, hand-finished and sealed, with a square metre of Scottish woodland dedicated alongside it. A novelty, magnificently done — and a good deal more fun than a family tree.

Choose a Package The Peerage Chart