Faill

Recorded as Fall, Falle, Faill, Fallis, Fallas, Faull, Fawle, and probably others, this is an English surname. It is either derived from the Olde English pre 7th century word 'falle', or it is locational from living at a place called Falaise in France, or perhaps Failand in Somerset, or from a number of topographical locations. In the latter case according to which part of the country a person lived ' falle' could have many different meanings including a water fall, a hillside, a place where rocks fell, or a cliffe. Topographical surnames were amongst the earliest to be created as in the simple world of the medieval past, the easiest way to indentify a person was to call them by any natural or physical feature such as a Brook, Hill or in this case Falle. Spelling over the centuries being at best indifferent, and local dialects very thick, often lead to the development of 'sounds like' spellings, as with this name. The early examples of the surname recording include William de Faleise in the Domesday Book of 1086, Geoffrey del Falles of Yorkshire in 1297, and William Falleys of Colchester in 1337.