Tyrrell
An old surname with Norman roots, most likely tied to a personal name or a word for a tower rather than a simple place-name.
The #5,948 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,342 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is usually traced through Norman French forms such as Tirel, Tyrel, and Turrell. The historical sources here are not fully unanimous: some treat it as a baptismal or personal-name surname, especially connected with the name Turold, while others link it more loosely to Latin turris, meaning "tower," as a nickname or diminutive form. In short, Tyrrell is an old Norman surname with several overlapping medieval explanations, all pointing to a very early northern French origin.
History
The name is well attested in medieval English records, especially after the Norman Conquest, and appears in forms such as Tirel and Tyrel in early documents. Later English spellings diversified into Tyrrell, Tirrell, Terrell, and related variants. Because medieval spelling was unstable, the same family line could appear under several forms in different records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling drift is so strong that some related surnames were later treated as separate names even when they started out as close variants.
From the historical record
“q.v. TYRRELL, v. Tirrell. Henry Tyre). — Hund. Rolls. TYRWHITT, V. Trewhitt. TYSON I = Tyas's Son : v. Tyas. 2 for Dyson, q.v. TYTE, V. Tite, Titus. TYTHERINGTON, v. Titherington.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)