Origins of the Bell surname

What does the name Bell mean?

The Bell surname has a number of origins, but is most popular in English-speaking countries. Bell is an old surname, found in records dating back to the 1100s, most commonly arriving through Middle English, used as an occupational name of someone who made or rang bells. Less often, the surname Bell arises from someone with the given name 'Bel', or was particularly beautiful (from the Old French 'beu' or 'bel').

Alternative variations of the name Bell

Bell, Bel, Belle, Le Bel, Bele

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Delve deeper into the Bell family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 11190North West 3559Isle of Man 218Yorkshire 6449East Midlands 1879West Midlands 743East 1694London 7438South East 2570South West 467South Wales 276Mid Wales 27West Wales 6North Wales 103Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Bells lived in north-east

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Interesting facts about Bell

How common is your surname?

46th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Bell surname. The oldest one dates back to 1220.

Who were Bells most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Bells.

What are the most common Bell first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Bell family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Bells

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Bells in 1921

Dressmaker

2,658

Domestic Servant

1,574

Housekeeper

1,139

House Servant

1,138

General Servant Domestic

1,110

Common male occupations for Bells in 1921

Coal Miner

3,853

Farmer

2,149

Joiner

1,763

Agricultural Labourer

1,667

General Labourer

1,659

We found over 570,000 family trees with the Bell surname

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