Wardell
Wardell is usually a variant of Wardle, ultimately tied to a ward or warden—someone who guards or watches.
The #8,425 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,701 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally treated as a spelling variant of Wardle, and by extension Ward, from words meaning a guard or watchman. The deeper roots run through Old French forms like gardein/warden and the related idea of guarding, which itself ultimately connects with Germanic words for watching. Some 19th-century writers also linked it to local place-names such as Wardle or similar places, so both occupational and locational explanations appear in the tradition.
History
The name appears in English records by the early 17th century, and historical surname writers often place Wardell alongside Wardle and Wardill as related forms. It has been recorded in England in several counties, with later spread into North America. Because older authorities sometimes folded local and occupational explanations together, the surname’s exact path may vary by family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes treated Wardell as an abbreviated or altered form of Wardle, rather than a completely separate surname.
From the historical record
“WARDALE ] WARDELL } = Wardle, q.v. WARDILL J WARDEN (Ai-Fr,-Teut.) Guardian [A.-Fr. wardein, O.Fr. gardein, guardian ; O.Fr. garder, warder, to guard ; f. the Frank. cogn.(cp.O.Sax.aiarrf^«)ofO.E.n;(a)arAa«,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)