Yarnell

Etymology

Yarnell is most likely an English locational surname, taken from a place called Yarnell or a similar small local place-name. Such surnames usually began as a way to identify someone by where they came from, rather than from a word meaning or occupation. The place-name itself is probably old English in origin, but its exact root is not certain from the surname evidence alone.

History

Locational surnames like Yarnell became hereditary in England in the medieval period as people moved away from their home villages. The name is comparatively uncommon and is most familiar today in English-speaking countries, especially the United States. Modern bearers may descend from several unrelated families that adopted the surname independently from the same place-name.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

Because locational surnames often arose independently in different places, not everyone named Yarnell is necessarily related to every other Yarnell family.