This surname of English origin is a nickname derived for the Middle English "male", Old French "masle" meaning "masculine". The surname dates back to the late 12th Century, (see below). Further recordings include one Osbert le Madle (1202), witness, "The Feet of Fines of Essex", and Stephen Male (1230) "The Pipe Rolls of Essex". Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Mayle, Mayall, Mayel, Mayial, Meyall, etc.. William Mayell was christened at St. John, Hackney, London, on December 11th 1570. Rebecca Mayall married Fitchwater on April 22nd 1644, at St. Margaret, Westminster. Alexander, son of Alexander and Elinor Mayell, was christened on July 5th 1648, and their son William, was christened on December 5th 1654, both at St. Botolph Bishopsgate, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert le Masle, which was dated 1187, "The Pipe Rolls of Berkshire", during the reign of King Henry 11, "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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.