Surname Orel - Meaning and Origin
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Orel: What does the surname Orel mean?
The last name Orel is of Germanic and Jewish origin. Derived from the Germanic personal name Ortlaff, it is composed of the elements "odal" meaning "ancestral heritage" and "rapt" meaning "counsel".
The name is found in Poland, Germany, Bohemia, Lithuania, and Russia. It generally indicated a person living close to his ancestral home and it may have also been adopted to indicate someone who was in the service of a noble family or someone of noble descent.
In Jewish communities, families bearing the surname Orel are believed to be descended from the Vilna Gaon, a leader of Ashkenazi Jewry in the eighteenth century. It is likely that those with the name Orel chose to commemorate and honor his memory by adopting his name for their own families.
In modern times, the last name Orel has come to represent intelligence and thoughtfulness. It is often seen as the marker of strong family bonds and loyalty. As a result, it has become a popular choice for those who want to give a nod to their ancestral heritage and honor those who came before them.
Order DNA origin analysisOrel: Where does the name Orel come from?
The last name Orel is most commonly found originating from several nations around the world. In Europe, the surname is most popular in Poland, where it is the 39th most common name according to ancestry records. This is likely due to the prevalence of Polish Catholic immigrants in the United States, Canada, and Australia. In the United States, Orel is most prominent in New York, with smaller concentrations in California and Florida.
Orel is also prevalent in Slavic countries, particularly Russia and Ukraine. In Ukraine, the name is the 33rd most common surname, with large settlements in the Ternopil, Lviv, and Chernivtsi Oblasts. In Russia, the surname can be found in the Oleneksky District and the Kostroma region.
Beyond Europe and the former Soviet Union, the surname is often associated with Jewish people, particularly of Polish and Russian descent. In Argentina, for example, the surname is commonly found due to Jewish immigrants who arrived in the early twentieth century. Records note that the Orel surname is also found in small concentrations in places like India, Egypt, and Germany.
Variations of the surname Orel
The surname Orel, sometimes spelled Orell, Orrell, Orill, Oriel, Orielle, Uriel, Uriell, and Yriel, is of French origin, with the first recorded use of the name occurring in medieval French records.
The surname is derived from the Latin ‘oriel’ which means ‘to bear fire’, suggesting that the original bearer of the name was likely a person who was associated with the wielding of fire in some meaningful capacity – for example a blacksmith.
Spelling variations of the name are quite common, likely a result of French pronunciation having been changed to English during the Anglo-Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This caused many French and Norman names to take on a whole new spelling or a more English-friendly pronunciation. These changes often occurred over the course of several generations, resulting in a multitude of contemporary spellings.
The surname is associated with a number of people of note, including legendary French soldier François Alexandre Orel (1780-1832); and Australian cricketer Roland Raymond Oriel (1929-1993).
In the United States, the surname is most commonly associated with those of French heritage, though those of Irish or Scottish descent may also bear the name.
In the United Kingdom, the surname is shared by many who are of French or Irish ancestry, with some descent likely linked with the noble families bearing the name in Scotland.
Finally, in Europe, the surname is thought to have derived from the Latin "orieles" during the early Middle Ages. Families bearing the surname likely originated in the southern French region of Aude.
Famous people with the name Orel
- Lior Orel, Israeli diplomat and former Chairman of the Civil Aerospace Industry at the Israeli Ministry of Defense
- Milana Orel-Regelson, professional e-commerce expert and entrepreneur
- Samy Orel, Brazilian film producer
- Christopher Orel, Australian innovator of global environmental health and sustainable development projects
- Ben Orel, professional basketball player from Israel
- Amilcar Orel, Panamanian former president of the National Assembly (1980-1984)
- Yisrael Orel, Israeli writer, poet and musicologist
- Irina Orel, Russian film and television actress
- Maimon Orel, Israeli public figure and former mayor of Bnei Brak
- Vladimir Orel, Soviet linguist