Surname Grandell - Meaning and Origin

Grandell: What does the surname Grandell mean?

The last name Grandell is an occupational surname derived from the Middle English phrase ‘grandel’ which was used to refer to a person overseeing grain or other agricultural products. This term was then adopted as a last name for someone engaged in a similar position. This work usually fell to those of a more prominent social status and so Grandell is also thought to indicate a family of noble status in France, with family members often holding important offices in the royal court and managing large estates.

The surname is believed to have originated in France, though it can also be found in some other locales, such as Italy and Germany. It is also thought to have been used as a place name in various countries due to its association with grain and agricultural goods. As the family name migrated to the United States, it took on various spellings including Grandell, Grandilo, Grandiloquence, and Grandull.

Grandell is considered to be a relatively rare surname, holding a place among the less frequent last names in the United States. Despite its scarcity, however, the name has a proud and long-standing heritage. Its meaning reinforces a proud connection to both the land on which its ancestors derived their living and to the work and dedication of many generations of families who took care of that land.

Grandell: Where does the name Grandell come from?

The last name Grandell is common today in a few different parts of the world. In Europe, it is particularly common in France, where records show that the name is the 139th most common surname. In the United States, the last name Grandell is found mainly on the East Coast and in the Midwest, with several concentrations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. In Canada, records indicate that the name is spread across the country, with a larger number of individuals living in and around the larger cities.

The Grandell family can trace its roots back to France, with some families also having an Irish or Scots-Irish background. It is believed that the Grandell name originated in the French Ile-de-France region, where a family by the name of Grandell is found in the village of Salle de Brie, in the southwest of Paris.

Today, those with the last name Grandell can be found in other areas of the world, such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, where people have emigrated to from their ancestral home in Europe. The Grandell name can still be found in Canada, the United States, and in France, with individuals and families bearing that name living in various parts of the world.

Variations of the surname Grandell

The surname Grandell is an Anglo-Norman variant of the more commonly spelt Grandall or Grandale. It is believed to have originated from the middle French "grand" meaning "big or great" and the more localised "dale", "dell" or "lea" which were medieval terms used to describe either a clearing or a lightweight enclosure. Other regional variations of the surname may include Grandalson, Grendall, Grandoll, Grantham and Grantham-Ellis.

Grandall is an historic English name first found recorded in Yorkshire during the eleventh century. Grandall is the more commonly used version of the name, but Grandell is the variant found in Scotland and also Cornwall. Grandalls of Kent had a family seat at Charing. The earliest recording of the Grandall name is believed to have been of one Walter le Ponder or le Grandalle, listed in the city of London in 1210.

The surnames Grandale and Grandell have also been found in the western isles of Scotland, particularly in the county of Perth, where they appear to have been significant in the 14th century. The earliest Grandale reference dates back to 1449, where William Grandale is listed as a sheriff in Perthshire. The next recorded Grandells were a family of drapers living in the City of Perth in the late 15th century.

Grandall variants can also be found in records throughout the English counties of Worcestershire, Dorsetshire, Leicestershire and Cornwall, and also in Oxfordshire. The name may also have been carried to the Americas in the 17th century, resulting in more recent Grandall, Grandell and Grandale variants in the U.S., Canada and South America.

Famous people with the name Grandell

• A. T. Grandell, Swedish science fiction writer
• Kaj Grandell, Finnish actor
• S.W. Grandell, American military officer
• Wilhelm Grandell, Finnish physician, botanist, and entomologist
• Jon Grandell, Swedish artist and photographer
• Karl Grandell, Finnish organist and composer
• Felix Grandell, Swedish physician and travel author
• Linda Grandell, a contestant on the Finnish reality television series POPsekoitus
• W.W. Grandell, an American publisher from the late 19th century
• Jarkko Grandell, a Finnish wrestler and Paralympic gold medalist

Other surnames

Grandel