An English surname, Urell comes from Old English term ‘ora’ and ‘hyll’ which means iron ore found in a hill. Variations in spelling for Urell include Orell, Orrel and Orrell. In England the early Urell families were from Lancashire. From there many moved into Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and then south into the city of London, to Kent, Surrey and west to Devon. In Wales, the Urell families are in Glamorgan county. Within the United States the Urell families primarily loved in New York, Minnesota, North Dakota, California, Iowa and Pennsylvania. Famous: M. Emmet Urell (awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Civil War).