Possibly an Ashkenazi form of Ezekiel or from Old Norse 'Áskell' meaning 'divine cauldron.'
Haskell derives from a Scandinavian-Norse personal name, a Norman French rendering of *Ásketill* — from *Áss* (a Norse god, one of the Aesir) and *ketill* (cauldron or helmet), producing the evocative meaning 'cauldron of the gods.' The Normans brought it to England as Anschetil, which simplified over centuries through Haskell and Askell before stabilizing as a surname. It later crossed into given-name usage, particularly among Jewish communities in America where it served as an anglicization of names like Ezekiel or a stand-alone choice.
The name's most enduring modern legacy is entirely unexpected: Haskell Curry, the American mathematician and logician (1900–1982), gave his name to the purely functional programming language Haskell, introduced in 1990. Curry's foundational work on combinatory logic and lambda calculus underpins modern computer science, meaning the name Haskell is now spoken daily by programmers worldwide — likely making it one of the few mid-century Jewish-American given names with genuine geek cachet. As a baby name, Haskell carries multiple layers of appeal: the rugged Norse mythology buried in its etymology, the warm American immigrant story in its cultural history, and the clever programming-language association for technically-minded parents.
It sounds authoritative without severity, and the nickname Hask — or simply the full form — wears naturally in contemporary use. Haskell is a genuinely underrated choice.