Is this a corrupted Welsh surname?

[Vimeira]

Have come across several members of a late 18th-century family called Usalble in a Staffordshire village. There are quite a number of "Welsh" surnames in the village, Jones, Evans, Owen, Williams. Am wondering if Usalble, which I've never seen elsewhere, might be a corruption of a Welsh name. Any ideas please?

[Gadget]

Hi

It doesn't sound Welsh to me!

I put the surname into Family Search and most of the first set of names were all in Gnosall, Staffs. When I selected Wales in the Country box, hardly anything came up, so I think it was probably a Staffs name.

All - https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3AUsalble~

Wales - https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3AUsalble~%20%2Brecord_country%3AWales

I also tried with Wales in birth place and got very few results.



added - see this site:  http://www.data-wales.co.uk/names.htm

[Vimeira]

Thanks, interesting article. The thing is, I can't think of any possible English origin for Usalble. Just wondering if, said aloud, it might sound like a Welsh word for an occupation, along the lines of "Jones the Wheelwright". (The clerk's spelling usually looks phonetic.) Are there any Welsh speakers on the forum?

If it's not Welsh, maybe it's from French - there are Rochel and Bourgres families at that time.

[Mike in Cumbria]

What an unusual name.

I (used to) speak Welsh to some degree and it doesn't sound remotely like any Welsh word I ever came across. If anything, perhaps it's a derivation of some English word like Usselby or some such.

Mike

[Mike in Cumbria]

.. most of the first set of names were all in Gnosall, Staffs. When I selected Wales in the Country box, hardly anything came up, so I think it was probably a Staffs name.

..

Gnosallby! Just might be some connection.

[Vimeira]

I think Usselby is the answer! They must have come from Lincolnshire originally - I hadn't heard of it before. Thanks for sorting that out!