Medel
A surname most likely tied to a place-name, ultimately meaning someone from or connected with Medel.
The #7,224 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,828 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Medel is most plausibly locational, formed from a place-name in Spanish-speaking areas. The excerpt does not give a secure derivation for the place-name itself, so the safest reading is that it originally identified someone who came from Medel or lived near a place of that name. Because the historical source only mentions the name in passing, the deeper word-history remains uncertain.
History
Medel appears in Spanish surname material, though the provided source only cites it incidentally rather than as a full entry. As with many locational surnames, it likely spread when people moved away from their home village and were identified by their place of origin. The modern U.S. presence is consistent with later Spanish-language migration and surname transmission.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Its modern U.S. rank suggests it is uncommon, but still established enough to appear in national census counts.
From the historical record
“theu, Matho. Medel \ Medíero. Emeterio. Andeiro, Enderio y Endero, formas del mismo nombre , han hecho el patronímico Enderiz, y en santo Sant-Ender, después Santander ^ .”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos