> Joscelin/Geesling/Geeslin Gesling 1) shortend form of a name that contained the germanic root "ger-" (=spear) 2) regional version of the german name Gieslher, which evolved from the root "gisal" (hostage) 2) depending on the region of origin possibly also a version of Gässling, a person that lived in a "gasse" (= lane) Regards, Ingolf Vogel

The conjunction of these names makes me thing that they are alternative spellings of the same name, from the times when name spellings were very variable and regional accents were strong. Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ingolf Vogel" <vogeling@freenet.de> To: <SURNAME-ORIGINS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 5:45 AM Subject: Re: [SURNAME-ORIGINS] Joscelin/Geesling/Geeslin > Joscelin/Geesling/Geeslin Gesling 1) shortend form of a name that contained the germanic root "ger-" (=spear) 2) regional version of the german name Gieslher, which evolved from the root "gisal" (hostage) 2) depending on the region of origin possibly also a version of Gässling, a person that lived in a "gasse" (= lane) Regards, Ingolf Vogel