The different spelling variations seem to have a geographic pattern:

In the Shaftesbury, Dorset area the two most common variations are Brickle and Brickell, and for some early evidence within some family lines these become interchangeable (even for the same person). The Brickell variant however becomes more dominant over time.

In the Northenden, Cheshire area however there are more variations with Brickill, Brickhill, Brekel, Brekell, Breckell as well as Brickell occuring; the Brickell variant again becomes more dominant over time.

Another common variant is Bricknell, but as far as can be ascertained so far, this is a distinct 'clan' that seems to be concentrated in the Hampshire and Oxford area.

An interesting phenomenon however is the frequency at which a maternal surname is adopted as a middle christian name (identically for either a boy or girl), thus creating a series of sub-clans in which the practice persists for many generations and in one known case has become the main surname.

Some of the sub-clans identified so far from the Shaftesbury area are:

• Stacey-Brickell
• Goulden-Brickell
• Bennet-Brickell
• Hussey-Brickell