This is a genuine 1066 Norman Conquest name, which is first recorded in the Domesday Book. It is locational and derives from the village of Vauville in La Manche, Normandy. The name is recorded heraldically as Wevell, the Coat of Arms being silver charged with a black chevron between three fleur de lis. The name development and recordings include Robert de Wayuill, (1220, Lincoln Pipe Rolls), Henry de Wavill (1268, Somerset Court Rolls). The modern spellings include Wavell, Weavill, Wevell, Wivell, Wevill, Weavil, Wivel and Weavill, but all trace back to the 1086 origins. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Walvile, which was dated 1086, The Domesday Book for Devon, during the reign of King William I, The Conqueror, 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.