Snell Family History

English: nickname for a quick lively or courageous person from Middle English snel(l) ‘swift vivacious brisk bold’ (Old English snel(l) Old Norse snjallr). See also Sneller Snelling.

English: from the Middle English personal name Snel(l) (Old English Snell Old Norse Snjallr with the same origins as the nickname above). Americanized form of German Schnell ‘quick’.

Dutch: variant mostly Americanized of Snel which is from the ancient Germanic personal name Snello (a short form of compound names such as Snelhard based on the element meaning ‘courageous agile speedy swift’; see Sneller) and perhaps also a nickname for a brisk or active person (from snel ‘speedy swift’).

As a variant of Van der Snel it is also a habitational name for someone from a place called Sneudel or Snoedel (from snode ‘poor’ + lo ‘open space in wood’).