Fidell

This interesting name has an interesting history being a derivation from the Olde French pre 1066 "Vitel" - itself a derivation of the Latin "Vitalis" meaning "Life". The name was recorded as a personal name in the 1086 Domesday Book as Vitalis, Vitel and Fitel, the latter being the originator of the current spelling. "Vitel" was a baptisimal nickname which was a term of endearment and probably given to a much wanted child. The name development has included "Fidele" - circa 1077 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Examples of the surname include Francis Fiddle at St. Johns Church, Hackney on July 1st 1579, and William Fidell who married Jane Hopkins at St. James, Clerkenwell on February 12th 1707. The Coat of Arms is a gold field charged with a water bouchet from which is sprouting a fountain of water to represent "life". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Radulfus Fitele, which was dated 1175, in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "the Builder of Churches" 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.