Sell
A surname with several possible origins, including a place-name link and a connection to a cell or hermitage.
The #3,280 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 28,032 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Sell is probably ambiguous in origin. One line of explanation connects it with a place-name, especially La Selle in France, while another derives it from Middle English and Old French selle/celle, ultimately from Latin cella, meaning a cell, hut, or hermitage. Some surname dictionaries also treat Sell as a weak form or variant of Seal or Sale, so the name may have more than one source.
History
Historical surname writers noted Sell alongside related forms such as Selley and Seller, and some examples may have been influenced by nearby place-names or by surnames with similar sound. Because the form is short and easily overlapped with Sale, Seal, and Selley, later records can be hard to sort with confidence. The surname is present in England and appears in modern U.S. census data, but no single origin explains all cases.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same medieval root behind one proposed origin, Latin cella, also lies behind modern words like "cell" and "cellar."
From the historical record
“dence at Selkirk. SELL (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Bel. to (La) Selle (France); or Dweller at a Cell or Hermitage [O.Fr. (and M.E.) selle, celle, Lat. cella\ Cte. et Ctesse. de la Selle. — Paris Directory. (Eng.) a weak form of Seal or Sale, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)