Sell Family History

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Sell Name Meaning

English: from Middle English selle, a rough hut of the type normally occupied by animals, hence a topographic name for someone who lived in a hut like this. In many cases the name may have been in effect a metonymic occupational name for a herdsman. Americanized spelling of Hungarian and Hungarian Jewish Széll, a topographic name for someone who lived in a spot exposed to the wind, from Hungarian szél ‘wind’. German: variant of Selle.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Bell, Fell, Soll, Pell, Tell, Seal, Selle, Hell, Dell, Kell

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Sell Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Sell name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Sell. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    43%

  • Germanic Europe

    18%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    15%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    6%

  • Sweden

    4%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Sell Family Origin

Where is the Sell family from?

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You can see how Sell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sell families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 275 Sell families living in London. This was about 29% of all the recorded Sell's in the UK. London had the highest population of Sell families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Sell

Sell Family Occupations

What did your Sell ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Sell occupation in the UK was Agricultural Labourer. 9% of Sell's were Agricultural Labourers. Agricultural Labourer, Labourer and Laundress were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Sell. A less common occupation for the Sell family was Agl Laborer.

View Census data for Sell | Data not to scale

  • Agricultural Labourer

    9%

  • Labourer

    6%

  • Laundress

    3%

  • Agl Laborer

    2%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Sell ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Sell Historical Records

What Sell family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 73,000 census records available for the last name Sell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sellcensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1891 UK census records for Sell

Passenger List

There are 27,000 immigration records available for the last name Sell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Sell immigration records

Draft Card

There are 16,000 military records available for the last name Sell. For the veterans among your Sell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sell military records

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Sell Life Expectancy

What is the average Sell lifespan?

Between 1947 and 2004, in the United States, Sell life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1947, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Sell in 1947 was 37, and 80 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sell

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Sell ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Sell Family Ancestors

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