The English surname Self, found almost exclusively in East Anglia, is derived from the Middle English personal name Saulf, Old English Swulf, composed of the elements sa meaning “sea” and  wulf meaning “wolf.” The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Sewolf, which was dated 1296, Pipe Rolls Records of Sussex. One Robert filus (son of) Seulfi, appears in the 1185 Knights Templars Records of Berkshire. A John and William Self are recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327, while Cristiana del Schelf was mentioned in the Poll Tax Records of Yorkshire in 1379 as was one Johannes del Schelf. The name is first recorded in the New World in 1682 when Isaac Self settled in Pennsylvania. Today there are 23,000 bearers of the name Self living in the US.