Recorded in many spelling forms as shown below, this is an interesting surname is Germanic. There are several possible origins, but the most likely is as a form of scholle, meaning a farmer. However it may be cognate with 'schel', a word which could describe a noisy person, one given amongst other things to ringing bells, a wild and obstreperous person, something of a clod hopper, or perhaps given the robust humour of the Middle Ages, the complete reverse! Nicknames were particularly popular in the medieval period, and no prisoners were taken in handing them out. If a person was particularly noisy or even quiet, then they received an appropriate name. If they were unfortunate enough to be born with some physical or mental problem, then this was seized upon and a person then might be called Cruckshank or bent legs, or worse. With this name there are many modern spelling including Schelle, Scheller, Scholl, Scholler, Schellig, Scholig, and in this case Sholl, which seems to be a 'foreign' variant spelling not recorded in Germany. Amongst the early examples in the charters, rolls and registers of Austria, Germany and Switzerland are those of Heinrich Scholle of Bretten in 1207, Walterus Schell of Gunzenhausen in the year 1210, and Haintz Schollen of Stuttgart in 1352, Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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