Meaning & History
The name Hamel has three origins.
The surname Hamel has three separate origins. As a German and Ashkenazic Jewish surname it is ultimately derived from the Yiddish 'Haml', which is where the river Hamel enters the Wesel. Hamel is thought to be from the Germanic 'ham', meaning 'water meadow'. As a Dutch surname it comes the Middle Dutch 'hamel' meaning a castrated ram, and was used as a nickname for a shepherd. As a surname it is derived from an Old French word for an outlying farm.
The surname Hamel has three separate origins. As a German and Ashkenazic Jewish surname it is ultimately derived from the Yiddish 'Haml', which is where the river Hamel enters the Wesel. Hamel is thought to be from the Germanic 'ham', meaning 'water meadow'. As a Dutch surname it comes the Middle Dutch 'hamel' meaning a castrated ram, and was used as a nickname for a shepherd. As a surname it is derived from an Old French word for an outlying farm.