Udell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Udell

What does the name Udell mean?

The Udell surname comes from the place name Yewdale in Lancashire, which is derived from the Old English word "yew," a type of tree and the Old Norse "dalr," meaning "valley." 1 Literally, the place name means "the dale where yew-trees grow"2

Early Origins of the Udell family

The surname Udell was first found in North West Lancashire at Yewdale. While three distinct sources agree on this origin, one differs. In this case, the author notes that the name could have been Norman in origin implying some of the family at one time emigrated to England. He notes that the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Ansgot de Ouvedale (Uvedale) in Normandy 1180-1195. The same source also notes Walder de Hudal in 1198. 3

Scant records are found today of Yewdale other than one source notes that it is a "valley at the north end of Coniston Lake." 4

Apparently at one time "a family of Udall, or Wedalle, owned the manor of Chingford Comitis, Essex, in the reign of Elizabeth. " 5

Another source notes that Alice de Youdall was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 and later, John Yowdall was listed in Cumbria in 1546. 6

Early History of the Udell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Udell research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1437, 1449, 1455, 1464, 1505, 1524, 1542, 1556, 1560 and 1592 are included under the topic Early Udell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Udell Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Udell has been recorded under many different variations, including Udall, Udale, Udall, Udle, Yewdale, Yewdall, Youdale and many more.

Early Notables of the Udell family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir William Uvedale (1455-1524), British soldier and courtier, of Wickham, Hampshire, the son and heir of Sir Thomas Uvedale of Wickham and of Titsey, Surrey, High Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex in 1437 and 1464. "The family name appears from the oldest deeds to have been D'Ovedale or D'Ouvedale. Other variations of the name are Uvedall, Uvedail, Vuedall, Udall, Woodall, and Woodhall. A writer in a sixteenth-century manuscript, desirous of identifying the Uvedale family with that of Wodehall, Cumberland, says, 'Thei call the name Woddall, and some call it Udall, and some Wodhall...
Another 108 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Udell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Udell migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Udell or a variant listed above:

Udell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Christopher Udell, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 7

Udell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

C. H. Udell, who settled in San Francisco, California in 1850
James Udell, who settled in Philadelphia in 1862

Contemporary Notables of the name Udell (post 1700) +

Jon Udell, American freelance journalist
John Udell (1795-1874), American farmer and Baptist lay preacher, known for his diaries of his travels to California
Jake Udell (b. 1989), American music manager
Byron Udell (b. 1958), American businessman, founder, president and the CEO of Accuquote
Nathan Udell (1817-1903), American Democratic Party politician, Physician; Member of Iowa State Senate, 1854, 1860-66 8
Lewis W. Udell, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1912 8
Alvin Udell (1906-1987), American politician, Representative from New York 17th District, 1948 8
Florence Nellie Udell CBE, RGN, SRN, FRSH, FSCM, British nurse, nursing administrator and government official
Arlo Udell Landolt (1935-2022), American astronomer from Highland, Illinois, Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html