Bussell
A surname with several possible origins, most likely from a nickname or a place-name, and long established in England.
The #7,713 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,718 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Bussell has been explained in more than one way by historical surname writers. One line of explanation connects it with a place-name, especially Bossall in Yorkshire, while another treats it as a nickname-form related to Russel/Russell, ultimately from a diminutive of a word for reddish-brown hair or complexion. Some older sources also group it with Germanic names such as Old German Busilo, but the evidence is not strong enough to make that certain for all bearers.
History
The name is recorded in English surname scholarship as an established medieval and later English surname, with forms such as Bushell, Buswell, and Bushill appearing alongside it. It was known in both northern and southern England, and some writers thought a local Yorkshire origin fit part of the evidence, while others preferred a nickname explanation. Later reference works also note its presence in Norman and other historical contexts, but the surname’s exact origin likely varied by family.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century surname books treated Bussell as a name that could fit either a place-based origin or a nickname origin, which is a good reminder that not every surname has just one source.
From the historical record
“Berton. BUSSELL. Bushell. 350. Butler. Buttler. 422. Bybrs. Byars. 212”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland