Searle
/sɜːl/noun
A chiefly English surname derived from a medieval personal name of uncertain Germanic or Scandinavian origin.
Did you know?Searle is commonly treated as a form of Serle or Serlo, a medieval name whose ultimate origin remains uncertain rather than having one securely established translation.
Etymological Timeline
Early Middle Ages
Germanic/Norse
*Særli or *Sar(w)ilo
“A proposed ancestral personal-name form; its exact language and meaning are uncertain.”
11th Century
Old French/Norman
Serlo
“A personal name used in Norman England, probably introduced or reinforced after the Norman Conquest.”
12th Century
Anglo-Norman
Serle
“A medieval English personal name and surname form.”
13th–14th Century
Middle English
Serle / Searle
“A hereditary surname developing from the personal name.”
Modern English
English
Searle
“A surviving English surname and family name.”