Jessel Family History

German: derivative of Jesse. English: perhaps a variant of Chessell with voicing of initial /ʧ/ to /ʤ/ spelled J-. This is a habitational name either from Chesthill, a lost place in Moreton Say and Stoke upon Tern (Shropshire), or from Chessell, Freshwater (Isle of Wight).

Both placenames are spelled as Chesthull in medieval records but the Shropshire name is thought to refer to a hill (Old English hyll) where parish boundaries were disputed (the first element is Old English ceast ‘strife, contention’) whereas the Isle of Wight name refers to a hill where burial chests or coffins were found (the first element is Old English cest ‘chest’) probably referring to the 6th-century pagan cemetery on Chessell Down.

French: diminutive of Jesse.

Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Yiddish Yossel, Yessell, a pet form of the personal name Josef (see Joseph).