79%RatingSave Gender Masculine Usage English Pronounced Pron. AN-səl [key·IPA] Meaning & HistoryExpand Links From an English surname that was derived from the given name Anselm. A famous bearer was American photographer Ansel Adams (1902-1984). PopularityDetails Last ranked #961 in 1923 United States People think this name isRate·Details classic mature formal upper class natural wholesome strong refined strange simple serious nerdy Categories artists, currently out of the US top 1000, isograms, photographers, surnames