Sells
A surname that most likely began as a plural or genitive form of Sell, itself probably a nickname or short form tied to older personal names.
The #4,110 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,763 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Harrison treats Sells as the plural or genitive form of Sell, meaning it developed as a family name from Sell rather than directly from a separate root. In surname practice, that kind of form often marks descent or association, much like "X's son" or "the family of X." The underlying Sell is itself often explained elsewhere as a short form or variant of older personal names, though the precise source can be uncertain.
History
The surname is recorded in English surname dictionaries as a variant built on Sell, and it has the same broad pattern as other names ending in -s. Because such forms can arise independently in more than one family line, the modern surname may have multiple origins. The name is relatively uncommon today but fits a long-established English naming pattern.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Harrison notes that Selles is also the name of places in France, but for the surname Sells he specifically points to the English family-name pattern from Sell.
From the historical record
“prbn. Sal-), q.v. SELLS, pi., and genit., of Sell, q.v. There is a Selles in the Pas-de-Calais Dept. ; also one in the Eure Dept. SELLWOOD, V. Selwood. SELLY, V. Selley. SELM "I I an aphaeretic form of Anselm, SELME/q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)