Quezel
Hey, in my family history we have a name we don't know anything about: Quezel. Does anyone know about it?
Here's all I know: it was my great grandmother's maiden name. She was from Naples, but she might have been Spanish. I've heard family mention it comes from some place that to me sounds like the word "abbasso". I also remember hearing it was German, but that might be my brain playing tricks on me. I haven't been able to find anything, though some people say it's French.
My thoughts are that it comes from Casale, meaning small village, or Kettil/ Katils, meaning kettle. Neither one makes sense as the origin in French, Spanish, Italian or Catalan. Does anyone know?
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Quézel is a French name that is derived from Old Occitan quetz 'quiet' and so presumably the nickname of a quiet, tranquil individual.
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Thank you so much! Where did you find that?
Any infirmation on how they got to Italy, or anything about their history?
Occitan. I have no idea why I hadn't thought of that.
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Quézel is in Morlet's dictionary of French family names. There are a few Quezels in Italy but the name is definitely not Italian. There is a record of someone named Anna Quezel from Sorrento, which is not far from Naples, coming to the US in 1930. Could that be her?
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It doesn't sound like her, but I'll keep looking.
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