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Fell Family History

Fell Surname Meaning

English (mainly northern): from northern Middle English fel(l) ‘fell hill mountain’ (Old Norse fell fjall) a topographic name denoting someone who lived on a fell or an area of high ground.

English German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a furrier, a dealer in hides or skins, from Middle English fel, Middle High German vel, German Fell or Yiddish fel, all of which mean ‘skin hide’ or ‘pelt’.

Yiddish fel refers to untanned hide in contrast to pelts ‘tanned hide’ (see Pilcher).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Fell family from?

You can see how Fell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fell families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 67 Fell families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 49% of all the recorded Fell's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Fell families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Fell ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Fell. 17% of Fell men worked as a Laborer and 9% of Fell women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Fell were Truck Driver and Clerk.

View Census Data for Fell | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    17%
  • Farmer
    11%
  • Salesman
    7%
  • Truck Driver
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Stenographer
    9%
  • Housewife
    9%
  • Teacher
    8%
  • Clerk
    6%

What Fell family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 114,000 census records available for the last name Fell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Fell

Passenger Lists

There are 13,000 immigration records available for the last name Fell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Fell immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 22,000 military records available for the last name Fell. For the veterans among your Fell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Fell military records

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