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Somerset / Re: Evill family - were they of Huguenot origin?
« on: Monday 21 November 16 16:44 GMT (UK) »
The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland (2016) has an entry for Deaville, the variants including Evill. It gives 2 derivations for the name:
1. Norman, English: locative name from Déville in Seine-Maritime - together with a lot of further information
2. English: nickname from Middle English 'devel' (devil or satan), possibly acquired as a pageant name or as a reduced form of a longer nickname such as that of Robert and William Drepedevel ('kill the devil'). A list of some early bearers of the name includes Devill but not Evill
Nicky
1. Norman, English: locative name from Déville in Seine-Maritime - together with a lot of further information
2. English: nickname from Middle English 'devel' (devil or satan), possibly acquired as a pageant name or as a reduced form of a longer nickname such as that of Robert and William Drepedevel ('kill the devil'). A list of some early bearers of the name includes Devill but not Evill
Nicky