♥ Lily ♥
07-21-2014, 01:39 AM
THE ORIGINS AND MEANINGS OF ENGLISH SURNAMES
English surnames** as we know them today -- family names passed down intact from father to son to grandson -- began in England as early as the eleventh century. Such hereditary names were not universally prevalent and settled, however, prior to the era of the Reformation in sixteenth century England. It is conjectured that the introduction of parish registers in 1538 was a great influence in this, as a person entered under one surname at baptism would not be likely to be married under another name, and buried under a third. Some areas of England came later to the use of surnames, however. It was not until the late seventeenth century that many families in Yorkshire and Halifax took permanent surnames.
** See meanings and origins of Top 100 English Surnames below
Origins of English Last Names
Surnames in England generally developed from four major sources:
Patronymic & Matronymic Surnames - These are surnames derived from baptismal or Christian names to indicate family relationship or descent. Some baptismal or given names have become surnames without any change in form. Others added an ending. son may have formed his surname by adding -s (more common in the South and West of England) or -son (preferred in the northern half of England) to his father's name. The latter -son suffix was also sometimes added to the mother's name. English surnames ending in -ing (from the British engi, "to bring forth," and -kin generally indicate a patronymic or family name as well.
Occupational Surnames - Many English surnames developed from a person's job or trade. Three common English surnames -- Smith, Wright and Taylor -- are excellent examples of this. A name ending in -man or -er usually implies such a trade name, as in Chapman (shopkeeper), Barker (tanner) and Fiddler. On occasion a rare occupational name can provide a clue to the family's origin. For example, Dymond (dairymen) are commonly from Devon and Arkwright (maker of arks or chests) are generally from Lancashire.
Descriptive Surnames - Based on a unique quality or physical feature of the individual, these surnames often developed from nicknames or pet names. Most refer to an individual's appearance - color, complexion, or physical shape - such as Armstrong. A descriptive surname may also refer to an individual's personal or moral characteristics, such as Goodchild, Puttock (greedy) or Wise.
Geographical or Local Surnames - These are names derived from the location of the homestead from which the first bearer and his family lived, and are generally the most common origin of English surnames. They were first introduced into England by the Normans, many of whom were known by the name of their personal estate. Thus, many English surnames derive from the name of an actual town, county, or estate. County names in Great Britain, such as Cheshire, Kent and Devon have been commonly adopted as surnames. A second class of local surnames derived from cities and towns, such as Hertford, Carlisle and Oxford. Other local surnames derive from descriptive landscape features such as hills, woods, and streams which describe the original bearer's residence. This is the origin of surnames such as Sykes (marshy stream), Bush and Attwood (near a wood). Surnames which begin with the prefix At- can especially be attributed as a name with local origins. By- was also sometimes used as a prefix for local names.
TOP 100 COMMON ENGLISH SURNAMES
(ONS - Top 500 Surnames Registered 1991 - May 2000)
** To see the meanings of these names and the source for this shared information, please visit the link (below) or visit About.com Genealogy
(More surname meanings and origins, help on tracing the origin of your surname, and a glossary of surname meanings and origins can be found on the links within this site below).
http://genealogy.about.com/od/surname_meaning/a/english.htm
1. SMITH 2. JONES 3. WILLIAMS 4. TAYLOR 5. BROWN 6. DAVIES 7. EVANS 8. WILSON 9. THOMAS 10. JOHNSON
11. ROBERTS 12. ROBINSON 13. THOMPSON 14. WRIGHT 15. WALKER 16. WHITE 17. EDWARDS 18. HUGHES 19. GREEN 20. HALL
21. LEWIS 22. HARRIS 23. CLARKE 24. PATEL 25. JACKSON 26. WOOD 27. TURNER 28. MARTIN 29. COOPER 30. HILL
31. WARD 32. MORRIS 33. MOORE 34. CLARK 35. LEE 36. KING 37. BAKER 38. HARRISON 39. MORGAN 40. ALLEN
41. JAMES 42. SCOTT 43. PHILLIPS 44. WATSON 45. DAVIS 46. PARKER 47. PRICE 48. BENNETT 49. YOUNG 50. GRIFFITHS
51. MITCHELL 52. KELLY 53. COOK 54. CARTER 55. RICHARDSON 56. BAILEY 57. COLLINS 58. BELL 59. SHAW 60. MURPHY
61. MILLER 62. COX 63. RICHARDS 64. KHAN 65. MARSHALL 66. ANDERSON 67. SIMPSON 68. ELLIS 69. ADAMS 70. SINGH
71. BEGUM 72. WILKINSON 73. FOSTER 74. CHAPMAN 75. POWELL 76. WEBB 77. ROGERS 78. GRAY 79. MASON 80. ALI
81. HUNT 82. HUSSAIN 83. CAMPBELL 84. MATTHEWS 85. OWEN 86. PALMER 87. HOLMES 88. MILLS 89. BARNES 90. KNIGHT
91. LLOYD 92. BUTLER 93. RUSSELL 94. BARKER 95. FISHER 96. STEVENS 97. JENKINS 98. MURRAY 99. DIXON 100. HARVEY
English surnames** as we know them today -- family names passed down intact from father to son to grandson -- began in England as early as the eleventh century. Such hereditary names were not universally prevalent and settled, however, prior to the era of the Reformation in sixteenth century England. It is conjectured that the introduction of parish registers in 1538 was a great influence in this, as a person entered under one surname at baptism would not be likely to be married under another name, and buried under a third. Some areas of England came later to the use of surnames, however. It was not until the late seventeenth century that many families in Yorkshire and Halifax took permanent surnames.
** See meanings and origins of Top 100 English Surnames below
Origins of English Last Names
Surnames in England generally developed from four major sources:
Patronymic & Matronymic Surnames - These are surnames derived from baptismal or Christian names to indicate family relationship or descent. Some baptismal or given names have become surnames without any change in form. Others added an ending. son may have formed his surname by adding -s (more common in the South and West of England) or -son (preferred in the northern half of England) to his father's name. The latter -son suffix was also sometimes added to the mother's name. English surnames ending in -ing (from the British engi, "to bring forth," and -kin generally indicate a patronymic or family name as well.
Occupational Surnames - Many English surnames developed from a person's job or trade. Three common English surnames -- Smith, Wright and Taylor -- are excellent examples of this. A name ending in -man or -er usually implies such a trade name, as in Chapman (shopkeeper), Barker (tanner) and Fiddler. On occasion a rare occupational name can provide a clue to the family's origin. For example, Dymond (dairymen) are commonly from Devon and Arkwright (maker of arks or chests) are generally from Lancashire.
Descriptive Surnames - Based on a unique quality or physical feature of the individual, these surnames often developed from nicknames or pet names. Most refer to an individual's appearance - color, complexion, or physical shape - such as Armstrong. A descriptive surname may also refer to an individual's personal or moral characteristics, such as Goodchild, Puttock (greedy) or Wise.
Geographical or Local Surnames - These are names derived from the location of the homestead from which the first bearer and his family lived, and are generally the most common origin of English surnames. They were first introduced into England by the Normans, many of whom were known by the name of their personal estate. Thus, many English surnames derive from the name of an actual town, county, or estate. County names in Great Britain, such as Cheshire, Kent and Devon have been commonly adopted as surnames. A second class of local surnames derived from cities and towns, such as Hertford, Carlisle and Oxford. Other local surnames derive from descriptive landscape features such as hills, woods, and streams which describe the original bearer's residence. This is the origin of surnames such as Sykes (marshy stream), Bush and Attwood (near a wood). Surnames which begin with the prefix At- can especially be attributed as a name with local origins. By- was also sometimes used as a prefix for local names.
TOP 100 COMMON ENGLISH SURNAMES
(ONS - Top 500 Surnames Registered 1991 - May 2000)
** To see the meanings of these names and the source for this shared information, please visit the link (below) or visit About.com Genealogy
(More surname meanings and origins, help on tracing the origin of your surname, and a glossary of surname meanings and origins can be found on the links within this site below).
http://genealogy.about.com/od/surname_meaning/a/english.htm
1. SMITH 2. JONES 3. WILLIAMS 4. TAYLOR 5. BROWN 6. DAVIES 7. EVANS 8. WILSON 9. THOMAS 10. JOHNSON
11. ROBERTS 12. ROBINSON 13. THOMPSON 14. WRIGHT 15. WALKER 16. WHITE 17. EDWARDS 18. HUGHES 19. GREEN 20. HALL
21. LEWIS 22. HARRIS 23. CLARKE 24. PATEL 25. JACKSON 26. WOOD 27. TURNER 28. MARTIN 29. COOPER 30. HILL
31. WARD 32. MORRIS 33. MOORE 34. CLARK 35. LEE 36. KING 37. BAKER 38. HARRISON 39. MORGAN 40. ALLEN
41. JAMES 42. SCOTT 43. PHILLIPS 44. WATSON 45. DAVIS 46. PARKER 47. PRICE 48. BENNETT 49. YOUNG 50. GRIFFITHS
51. MITCHELL 52. KELLY 53. COOK 54. CARTER 55. RICHARDSON 56. BAILEY 57. COLLINS 58. BELL 59. SHAW 60. MURPHY
61. MILLER 62. COX 63. RICHARDS 64. KHAN 65. MARSHALL 66. ANDERSON 67. SIMPSON 68. ELLIS 69. ADAMS 70. SINGH
71. BEGUM 72. WILKINSON 73. FOSTER 74. CHAPMAN 75. POWELL 76. WEBB 77. ROGERS 78. GRAY 79. MASON 80. ALI
81. HUNT 82. HUSSAIN 83. CAMPBELL 84. MATTHEWS 85. OWEN 86. PALMER 87. HOLMES 88. MILLS 89. BARNES 90. KNIGHT
91. LLOYD 92. BUTLER 93. RUSSELL 94. BARKER 95. FISHER 96. STEVENS 97. JENKINS 98. MURRAY 99. DIXON 100. HARVEY