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Re: O'Shell
in reply to a message by Morsa
Appearances to the contrary I suspect that this name is not Irish. Any idea about the ethnic background?
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Actually, I was trying to figure out the meaning of the fn Oshal (it is my great uncle's name). I thought it could be derived from the German surnames Oshel, Oschel, Oschell. I also saw that O'Shell was a variant of these names, but I also saw the name O'Shell on some Irish family crest web sites.

This message was edited 9/8/2006, 1:51 PM

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I'll hazard a guess and suggest that the O'Shell coat of arms is likely to be an O'Shiel coat - lion rampant flanked by two hands(palms), plus a five-pointed star, all red on a white background.
Of course it's possible that O'Shell is a variant of O'Shiel, but I doubt it. That latter name is usually found today as Shiels or Shields. I think the German connection is worth pursuing. If I find anything out about Oshal I'll post it here.
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Thank you! I really appreciate it.
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