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ArchivesRe: Magel
in reply to a message by Janine
The saint you must be referring to is St. Gerard Majella. Majella has been used as a feminine name in his honor, especially in Ireland. But I'm not sure that would be the origin of Magel or Majel.
From Googling, Magel seems to be a German surname. However, it's not listed in my available reference books, the closest being Mägerl, which is a German name going back to Latin macer, "thin, delicate," according to Hanks & Hodges's A Dictionary of Surnames.
From Googling, Magel seems to be a German surname. However, it's not listed in my available reference books, the closest being Mägerl, which is a German name going back to Latin macer, "thin, delicate," according to Hanks & Hodges's A Dictionary of Surnames.
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On the note of it being a surname:
this is what ancestry.com gives for a meaning:
magel
Dutch: from a female personal name derived from the Germanic female personal name Machthild, composed of the elements macht ‘strength’, ‘might’ + hild ‘strife’, ‘battle’.
Another possible origin is that it comes from Mageltje (meaning Little Magel), which is a form of Mage, this name is a Frisian derived from the verb "mogen" which used to mean: be able to / can.
(spectrum voornamen boek)
this is what ancestry.com gives for a meaning:
magel
Dutch: from a female personal name derived from the Germanic female personal name Machthild, composed of the elements macht ‘strength’, ‘might’ + hild ‘strife’, ‘battle’.
Another possible origin is that it comes from Mageltje (meaning Little Magel), which is a form of Mage, this name is a Frisian derived from the verb "mogen" which used to mean: be able to / can.
(spectrum voornamen boek)
This message was edited 10/24/2006, 1:21 AM
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