Morrell
A surname with both locative and nickname roots, found in medieval French and English records.
The #3,065 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,389 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Morrell is usually treated as a form of Morel or Morrall, and it may have more than one source. One line of explanation connects it with Old French morel, a diminutive or descriptive form related to "moor" or "dark," while another links it to a place-name element meaning "moor" or "marsh." In English records the name often appears in interchangeable spellings such as Morrell, Morrall, and Morel, which suggests it was shaped by regional spelling habits as much as by a single fixed origin.
History
Medieval and early modern records show the name in England in several spellings, and later surname dictionaries often group Morrell with Morel and Morrall. Some writers also point to specific locative examples, including Norman or English place-name associations, but the evidence is not uniform. By the modern period the spelling Morrell became established in Britain and later in North America. The surname has been borne by a number of notable families in commercial and professional circles.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some old surname dictionaries treat Morrell as a spelling variant of Morel rather than a wholly separate name.
From the historical record
“Morpath — the Moor-Path [O.E. mdr + MORRALL for Morrell, Morell, q.v. ^S'R^fL'L'}=^°-'''l- . MORREY = Morey, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)