Settle
A surname most likely taken from Settle, the Yorkshire market town, meaning someone who came from or lived at that place.
The #4,329 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 37,643 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Settle is generally explained as a locational surname from the town of Settle in Yorkshire. The place-name is traditionally derived from Old English elements meaning “seat” or “residence,” referring to a settled dwelling-place. In surname use, it would originally have identified a person by where they came from or held land.
History
Lower notes that the family had lands at Settle and were known there in medieval times, while Harrison also ties the surname directly to Settle, Yorkshire. Like many English locational surnames, it later spread beyond the original district as families moved to other counties and abroad. The name remains comparatively uncommon in the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Settle is also the name of a well-known Yorkshire market town near Giggleswick, which gives the surname its most likely origin.
From the historical record
“farm, etc.] SETTLE (Eng.) Bel. to Settle (Yorks), the Domesday Setel,= the Seat, Residence [O.E. sell] SEVER(E (A,-Fr.-Lat.) the Fr. SMre, Lat. Severus (a fairly common Roman family- name) = the Severe, Stern, Cruel [Lat. sever-us\ The Roman emperor who died at York A.D. 211 was aptly named.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)