English: of uncertain origin, possibly a habitational name, of
which the second element appears to be Old English well(a)
‘spring’, ‘creek’. The first element may be a short form of an Old
English personal name containing the element os ‘god’ (see
for example Oswald) or its Old Norse cognate ás (see
Osborne). However, the earliest known bearer of the name was
Roger Wyswall, who was admitted as a burgess of Shrewsbury in
1450. The English name is found in various forms, including
Woosall and Wossald.
Irish (Ulster): adopted as an
English equivalent of Gaelic Ó hEodhusa ‘descendant of
Eodhus’ (see Hussey).
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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