Jekyll

J8E1K5Y4L1L1
US/ˈdʒɛ.kəl/US/ˈdʒi.kəl/

proper noun

A surname.

OriginOld Breton Iudicael →
Less commonScrabble 20
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A surname.
  2. A male given name, transferred from the surname.

Origin

  1. Old Bretoncael“generous, noble”
  2. Old Bretoniudd“lord, ruler, prince”
  3. Old BretonIudicael
  4. EnglishJekyll

From a Breton name also appearing in various forms in French Judicaël, Gicquel, Jézéquel, etc., ultimately from Old Breton Iudicael, the name of a Breton king revered as a Catholic saint. His name is from Old Breton iudd (“lord, ruler, prince”) + Old Breton cael (“generous, noble”) (whence modern Breton cael (“generous, noble”)).

More words from Old Breton

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Jekyll. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Jekyll

MLA

“Jekyll.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Jekyll. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Jekyll,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Jekyll.

Source: Jekyll on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.