Terrill
Terrill is usually a spelling variant of Terrell, ultimately from the old given name Theodoric, meaning “ruler of the people.”
The #6,075 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,732 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally treated as a variant of Terrell, which older surname books connect with a reduced form of the medieval personal name Theodoric. That name comes from Germanic elements meaning “people” and “power, rule,” so the underlying sense is “ruler of the people.” The spelling Terrill reflects later variation in how the surname was written down.
History
Nineteenth- and early-20th-century surname writers note Terrill alongside Terrell and Tirrell as close spelling forms. In English records, these surnames appear in medieval and post-medieval use and later spread to places such as London and, by emigration, North America. Modern bearers in the United States usually descend from these English surname lines rather than from a separate origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname collections often treat Terrill as just one of several interchangeable spellings of the same family name.
From the historical record
“TERRELL 1 TERRILL J V. Tirrell. TERREY \ (A.-Fr.-Teut.) contr. of Theodoric, TERRY 1 q-v- Terry.— Hund. Rolls.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)