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ArchivesRe: Origins and use of the surname SPRIDDELL
in reply to a message by Emma
This is a very rare surname, so ensuring it's continuity in some form sounds like a good idea. Reaney and Wilson, "A Dictionary of English Surnames" give the origin as an Old English (Anglo-Saxon, if you like) male given name, Sprytel. They write that the name is " ... unrecorded in independent use, but found in Spridlington ..." So this Lincolnshire place name means "the farm of Sprytel's clan." Same source cites four examples of the surname between 1213 and 1642, all in Devon, so that county may be the home of the Spriddells/Spriddles.
As for adopting the name as part of a compound name, I believe that I'm right in stating that, in the UK, you can call yourself by any surname that takes your fancy. However it's a good idea to have some legal document with your new name on so there's no argument about it being your name. A marriage certificate would do the trick, of course, but it might be a good idea to discuss the name change with someone at the Register Office beforehand.
As for adopting the name as part of a compound name, I believe that I'm right in stating that, in the UK, you can call yourself by any surname that takes your fancy. However it's a good idea to have some legal document with your new name on so there's no argument about it being your name. A marriage certificate would do the trick, of course, but it might be a good idea to discuss the name change with someone at the Register Office beforehand.
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