Revels
A surname most likely from the medieval office of master of the revels, or from a place-name or nickname tied to festivity and court entertainment.
The #7,141 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 65,929 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Revels is probably connected to the old word revel, meaning a feast, merry-making, or festive entertainment. As a surname, it most likely began as an occupational name for someone associated with court entertainments or public festivities, rather than as a direct reference to the modern English verb 'to revel.' In some cases, surnames of this type may also have arisen from a place-name or from a nickname for a lively person, so the exact origin can vary by family line.
History
The excerpts show the phrase 'master of the revels' in historical discussion, which fits the surname's likely background in entertainment or court service. In English-speaking countries, Revels is a relatively uncommon surname and may represent a later pluralized or variant form of a surname built on the same root as Revel or Revell. Modern bearers are especially found in the United States, where the name appears in small numbers.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Tudor and Stuart England, the Master of the Revels was a real court office that supervised entertainments and, for a time, had authority over stage plays.
From the historical record
“the western counties descend from Walter Halliday, called the jUinstrcl, who was master of the revels to King Edward IV., and acquired lauds at Rodborough, co. Gloucester. B.L.G. riALLIFAX. Halifax, a town in York- shii'e.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom