English (Lancashire): habitational name from either of two
minor places in Lancashire called Orell, from Old English
ora ‘ore’ + hyll ‘hill’, probably denoting a hill
with deposits of iron ore. Reaney and Wilson also mention a medieval
female personal name, Orella, but there is no evidence of a
link with the surname.
Swedish: unexplained.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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