Explore the Family Name Sell
The meaning of Sell
1. English: from Middle English selle ‘shelter for animals, shieling’ (Old English (ge)sell), a rough hut of the type normally occupied by animals, hence a topographic name for someone who lived in a hut like this. It may also have been used as a nickname for a herdsman. 2. German: variant of Selle. 3. German: metonymic occupational name from Middle High German sel ‘rope’ for a rope maker. 4. Americanized form of Hungarian Széll: topographic name for someone who lived in a spot exposed to the wind, from szél ‘wind’. 5. Americanized form of Jewish (from Hungary) Széll: adoption of Hungarian Széll (see 4 above) either as a calque of the formerly used German-based surname, or because the Hungarian surname (or word) has some sounds in common with the original surname.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sell in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Sell has seen slight fluctuations in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname fell by approximately 6.18%, moving from 3089th most popular in 2000 to 3280th in 2010. Despite this shift in ranking, the count of individuals with the surname actually increased by around 2.48%, from 10,747 people in 2000 to 11,014 in 2010. This resulted in a small decrease of about 6.28% in the proportion of individuals named Sell per 100,000 residents.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,089 | #3,280 | -6.18% |
| Count | 10,747 | 11,014 | 2.48% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.98 | 3.73 | -6.28% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sell
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Sell also underwent some changes during the same time period, as revealed by the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest increase occurred among the Asian/Pacific Islander community, which saw an 86.27% increase from 2000 to 2010. Individuals identifying as Hispanic also saw a notable rise of 53.13%. On the contrary, there was a significant drop of 61.68% among those identifying as Black. The count of those reporting Two or More races slightly rose by 17.65%, whereas those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native fell marginally by 7.14%. However, the vast majority of people with the surname Sell identified as White, making up 95.05% in 2010, down just 0.22% from 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.26% | 95.05% | -0.22% |
| Hispanic | 1.28% | 1.96% | 53.13% |
| Two or More Races | 0.85% | 1% | 17.65% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.51% | 0.95% | 86.27% |
| Black | 1.67% | 0.64% | -61.68% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.42% | 0.39% | -7.14% |
Sell ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Sell is French & German, which comprises 40.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (35.9%) and Eastern European (7.3%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 40.8% |
| British & Irish | 35.9% |
| Eastern European | 7.3% |
| Other | 16.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Sell
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Sell have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 77.90% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 77.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 77.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 77.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 77.00% |
What Sell haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Sell is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-Z58 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Cody, Prescott, Parr, Prince, Hamer, Tinsley, Justice, Moon, Cameron, Mears.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sell surname are: H1, K1a, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Sell have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Sell" Surname 36.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Sell" Surname 19.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Sell" Surname 26.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Sell" Surname 19.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Sell?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Sell are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition