The Origin of your Surname

[Loyalist]

From what group does your surname originate? How common is the name in your land of origin? Please feel free to share the meaning as well, if you wish to do so.

My surname is Scottish, although it is a typically (and common) English name. Most sources indicate it was introduced to the Lowlands by Anglo-Saxon settlers, although I've also seen explanations for Norman and Gaelic origins, the latter stating it is an Anglicization of a habitational surname from a village in Fife. In any case, it means maker of barrels.

Here is its present distribution in the United Kingdom:

http://i42.tinypic.com/2nrpik4.png

[Birka]

My surname is very uncommon. I think there is only 1 other family with the name in the US using google and various search sites.

It was slightly changed here when my grandfather came from Lithuania in 1912, only 1 letter dropped off the end, but that changed the pronunciation. Just realized that in 3 years, my family will have been here for 100 years.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Germanic, originally from northern Germany.

[Psychonaut]

My surname is French, but due to its origin is very rare. It was originally a Spanish surname that my paternal ancestor from the Canary Islands brought to Louisiana in the early 1700s. To integrate into French society he altered the surname to its current French form.

The French form is found in France and the US at very low levels (18 and 12 FPM), while the original Spanish form is exceedingly rare and only occurs in Spain at 0.1 FPM.

[Æmeric]

My surname is Welsh. This is it's frequency in Britain in 1881:


http://www.theapricity.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=626&d=1234394031


The frequency of my mother's maiden name in Germany at the present:


http://www.theapricity.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=627&d=1234394392

[Heimmacht]

Germanic, It is a very common Dutch name, according to the world name profiler it is German. My last name means the same as my nickname here on TA.

[Gooding]

My surname, Gooding, is Old English.It's most common in the Southwest, especially in Somerset.I tagged my mother's maiden name, McDonald, onto my own recently.It was originally McDonnell, of Gaelic Irish origin.It's common in Ulster and the southwestern Highlands of Scotland.

[Loki]

Oh yes, my mother's maiden name is of Danish origin, from the south near the German border.

[Ulf]

All the names I've found in my family tree have German/ic origins, I've yet to find one that isn't, but that doesn't mean there aren't any of other origin...

[Jägerstaffel]

My surname's origin is Anglo Saxon.

My mother's surname was Scottish/Gaelic primarily from Northern Scotland.

Most of the other surnames in my family are either Nordic or Germanic, from different sources.

[Beorn]

Anglo-Saxon surname from my father and my mother's maiden name is Anglo-Saxon too.

[Aemma]

Despite my surname being mostly found in Lower Normandy, France and Canada and the USA and being recognised as a "French" name, other research suggests the following: "from a Germanic female personal name Hrodberga, composed of the elements hrod ‘renown’ + bergo ‘protection’." (Many thanks to my friend Psychonaut for this last piece of research btw! :thumb001:)


So I guess I vote "Germanic"! :thumb001:

Cheers!...Hrodberga :D

[Brynhild]

My father's name is Maltese, so I voted other for that reason, while my mother's name is Anglo-Saxon, deriving from Gloucestershire in England.

[Allenson]

I've seen various explanations of my surname--none of which have ever satisfied me very much, to be honest.

When I enter it here:

http://www.nationaltrustnames.org.uk/

If I spell it as we do now, here in America, the frequency is much greater in England than in Scotland. But, I know my paternal line came from eastern Scotland (Perthshire) and I also have recently found out that they spelled it with an "a" instead of an "e" in Scotland. When I plug it in that way, it is much more commonly found right there in Scotland.

As to weather it's Celtic or Germanic, I don't know and I'm not sure if I ever will. Coming from eastern Scotland, perhaps its Pictish. ;)

[Hors]

Hellenic surname (Russianized), Jewish name (Russianized as well), Hellenic (Russianized, of course) second name :D

All are typically Russian and very old and common.

[Loki]

Hellenic surname (Russianized), Jewish name (Russianized as well), Hellenic (Russianized, of course) second name :D

All are typically Russian and very old and common.

I guess this would be because of the historic Orthodox links with Greece?

[Aemma]

I guess this would be because of the historic Orthodox links with Greece?

And to piggy back on Loki's question, do you mean an Abrahamic as opposed to a Jewish first name perhaps? There's a world of difference there. The former could be 'Chaim' while the latter could be 'Noah' or 'David'. ;)

Just curious. :)

Cheers Hors!...Aemma

[Hors]

Is John an Abrahamic name, not Jewish? Frankly, I'm not aware of the differentiation between Jewish and Abrahamic names. Maybe the latter are just Biblical names? Anyway, this notion is unknown in regular Russian.

Btw, people don't use names like David or Noah in Russia, unless they're Jewish. David = Jew.


I guess this would be because of the historic Orthodox links with Greece?

Orthodox, yes. But both names are used in Russian for more than 1000 years. One is even pagan and supposedly Scandinavian in intermediate origin.

[Aemma]

Is John an Abrahamic name, not Jewish? Frankly, I'm not aware of the differentiation between Jewish and Abrahamic names. Maybe the latter are just Biblical names? Anyway, this notion is unknown in regular Russian.

Btw, people don't use names like David or Noah in Russia, unless they're Jewish. David = Jew.

:) Well John is not considered a Jewish name per se in North America, nor in most parts of Europe I would gather. For instance the French equivalent of John is Jean and is not considered at all a Jewish name, just a Biblical one. But yes, Abrahamic = Biblical and generally not Jewish per se. David is one such name that is very Biblical but not considered a Jewish one here. Many Christians are/have been baptised with this name here. :)

As in my example above, a name like Chaim is considered Jewish but not John or David.

I was just wondering if there was such a differentiation in Russia or not. Thank you for setting me straight. :)

Cheers Hors!...Aemma :)

[Loki]

I know what you're meaning Aemma, but the example of David is not a good one. David is probably THE most common and popular name among Jews.

[YggsVinr]

My surname is of Frankish/Germanic origin and one of the few French surnames that didn't really undergo a latinization (actually on both sides) in spelling. The surname is mostly found in northern France particularly Normandy, but is also found in the British Isles (via the Norman invasion) and to a degree in Germany (though in the Isles and Germany under slightly different spellings, usually just the omission or inclusion of a vowel. The "i" is omitted in Germany, the "e" removed in the Isles and a "y" replacing the "i" in Ireland). Though the spelling isn't particularly latinicized it is obviously pronounced differently in France, the Isles, and Germany.

[Æmeric]

I know what you're meaning Aemma, but the example of David is not a good one. David is probably THE most common and popular name among Jews.

I've known 2 Davids that were Jews. I can't even begin to count all the Gentiles I've known who were named David. It was one of the top 3 names for boys of my generation in the Midwest & Southwest, along with Michael (Hebrew) & Christopher (Greek). I have 2 direct ancestors in the last 250 years named David. Not to mention all the cousins & uncles over the generations named David. Most American don't associate David as a Jewish name anymore then they would Joshua, Jonathan, Rachel or Sarah.;)

[Aemma]

I know what you're meaning Aemma, but the example of David is not a good one. David is probably THE most common and popular name among Jews.


Yep I see what you mean too Loki. I guess my point is that in my experience in Canada the name David doesn't have an automatic designation as being a Jewish name per se. If anything, in these parts of Canada anyway, it is considered Biblical and can be a Christian name as much as a Jewish one. David used to be an equally popular name in French Canada as well before the Yannicks and Mattis' took over. Just a difference I guess in terms of where we live and our different exposures (or rather levels thereof) to Jewish communities. The Jewish community here where I live certainly isn't as big as the one in Montreal or Toronto. And to boot, I grew up and still live in a very French Canadian sector of town. We don't have Jewish people here whose native tongue would be French; they are all anglophone. There are no French Jews that pioneered this country. Consequently, of all of the Davids I have ever known, 99% of them have been Christian. Like I said, just a regional difference I suspect but an interesting one nonetheless. :)

Cheers Loki!...Aemma :)

[Aemma]

I've known 2 Davids that were Jews. I can't even begin to count all the Gentiles I've known who were named David. Most American [and Canadians] don't associate David as a Jewish name anymore then they would Joshua, Jonathan, Rachel or Sarah.;)

Yep, what Æmeric said. :D

[Loki]

Yep I see what you mean too Loki. I guess my point is that in my experience in Canada the name David doesn't have an automatic designation as being a Jewish name per se. If anything, in these parts of Canada anyway, it is considered Biblical and can be a Christian name as much as a Jewish one.

Agreed, I was not suggesting that David had Jewish connotations .. not only in Canada, but everywhere in the Christian world the name David is popular for obvious reasons. What I was trying to say is that David is perhaps even more popular among Jews. :)

Some statistics:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_popular_given_names

I see in Israel, David is the 4th most popular name among Jewish boys. By contrast in Canada, David is not among the top 10. ;)

Edit: David is no. 3 in Austria! :eek:

Second Edit: Blimey, Mohamed is the number one name for males in Brussels, Belgium!!

[Jägerstaffel]

I agree with Aemma and Æmeric, to colonials those names just seem Christian.
It took me until I was an adolescent or so before I realised there was a Jewish connection behind it.

[Beorn]

Now that the thread is officially meandered (:D), I can add to this debate that my first and middle names are the same as the two best known friends in the Old Testament.

I would constantly harass my parents to admit to them having named me after Jewish biblical characters; all to have a negative response of course, but I could never shift the thought.

It doesn't bother me now, but back then I was quite ashamed to have such a connection with someone in Tel Aviv.

[Aemma]

Second Edit: Blimey, Mohamed is the number one name for males in Brussels, Belgium!!

LOL! See, you shouldn't be looking these things up so late at night Loki, you'll give yourself nightmares! :D

[Stormraaf]

The first colonist with my surname to enter South Africa (via the Cape colony) was German, though the spelling thereof has been slightly changed afterwards. The original form seems to be very rare today, but most frequent in Nordrhein-Westfalen and also Switzerland, and found nowhere outside Europe. The Afrikaner variant in South Africa is also rare, but seemingly not as much as the original.

[Hors]

Second Edit: Blimey, Mohamed is the number one name for males in Brussels, Belgium!!

As well as in Oslo, Norway.

[Hildolf]

My surname is Irish in origin. It originates from a tribe known as the Dal Cais and was a first name meaning Lord of Horses.

[Hilding]

My surname is 100% swedish :cool:

[Barreldriver]

My surname originated in S.E. England, however my lineage did not, my lineage originated in Northern England, and adopted a S.E. surname after the Norman Conquest, our original surname from N. England is unknown.

[Silverfern]

My surname is Italian

[Thorum]

Am I correct in assuming we are not revealing our actual surnames? I want to post but I notice no one has shown their name.

[Galloglaich]

My surname (as far as is traceable) originated in the Hebrides. It means "son of the servant of (St.) Peter". It has been suggested that the origins of this particular branch may be with a Norse-Gaelic family that adopted the patron saint of Peter upon converting to Christianity. My family (hailing from Islay) were a sept of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles.

Like many Gaelic names, there are a few instances of the same name having arisen indigenously in other areas. In these cases (as may still be the case with mine) it probably has ecclesiastical origins (again referring to a servant of St. Peter) and there is no reason to assume that they are related. Wherever the name occurs it is pretty rare and has universally been Anglicized into a few phonetic based variations. The "mac" prefix has not been retained. The highest concentrations of the most common variations are today found in Northern Ireland and it is unknown if it is indigenous or moved there with the expansion of Clan Donald South into Antrim and the glens. It could be both. There is also a concentration in the Sligo area.

My family brought it to America in 1716. At that time it still hadn't been Anglicized much. It underwent at least one Anglicization before my particular family again Anglicized it into its current form in the 1840's. My suspicion is that they did it in order to be avoid being associated with the potato famine Irish that were streaming into the country at that time. It looks completely English in its current form. Interestingly, over the intervening years some of the families back in Scotland have arrived at the same Anglicization separately.

[Beorn]

Am I correct in assuming we are not revealing our actual surnames? I want to post but I notice no one has shown their name.


I suppose some don't want to reveal their names for fear of what it may lead to, whilst others have said it on other occasions that to repeat it again was thought pointless.

My surname is Clark: 'Cleric, clerk, or scholar - one who can read and write'.

[Red Skull]

My surname is Slavic. It consists of one root word, and three Slavic suffixes.
The root word means Wolf.

[Thorum]

Thanks BeornWulfWer.

Am am in no way as educated on the matter as previous posters. My last name is Abraham (father's side). Mother's name was Hill.
Regarding the name Abraham, we have no Jewish blood as far as we have discovered. We have done research back upwards of 400 years on our names. The best explanation I have ever found is from this website:

"...pre 12th century origin. Found in almost every European country including England, Scotland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Russia, Poland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Croatia, Hungary etc. It was one of the many surnames of Hebrew influence which were originally given by the returning Crusaders to their children, in recognition of their fathers visit to the Holy Land, and which subsequently became surnames. ....the surname itself is not essentially Jewish. The 1086 Domesday Book for London, in the first known public recording, refers to 'Abraham', who was a priest in the established Christian church, whilst in 1170 Abraham de Stradtuna was recorded in the Danelaw rolls of Lincolnshire. Our particular search has ended in the early 1600's in Amsterdam. The bulk of the Abrahams were Dutch and German.

Regarding the Hills, we have traced this back to the late 1500's to the Bolton area in England. Hill: "1) One who lives on or near a hill, derived from Old English 'hyll.' 2) corruption of German 'hild,' meaning 'battle.' German 'hild,' meaning "battle.'"

[quotablepatella]

My surname is Germanic, and my mother's maiden name is Celtic.

[Útrám]

None, I have a patronymic last name.

[Tabiti]

Root is from the old Bulgarian name Kuno (non Slavic one), which is also Germanic as I saw???
The suffix (Slavic) is specific and traditional from the Northwestern region.

[Inese]

My surname is Baltic and it is a common surname in Latvia. A important military and political person in the history of our country and indipendence had the same name!! :cool: I like it. Hm i dont want to tell my surname but the German surname of my grandfather was " Leinenbach".

Hm who is the other with a Baltic surname?? :confused: Rise your finger!! :D

[Cato]

My surname Wilkins is Will kin. I know I've got Norman ancestry, but I don't know if one of my ancestors was a kinsman of William or not.

[Osweo]

My surname Wilkins is Will kin. I know I've got Norman ancestry, but I don't know if one of my ancestors was a kinsman of William or not.
I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. :o

Watkins, Jenkins, Bunnikins, Rumpelstiltzkin, Liebchen, Hahnchen, Squirrel Nutkin, Country Bumpkins, Fluffikins and Pitkin are all of a piece. This is a hypochoristic, a diminuitive, an endearing familiar form.

We are still dealing with a William, or a Wilkie or Willikins rather, but hardly the notorious Guillaume you mention!

[Germanicus]

My surname comes from Lancashire by origin, it is made up of old English
meaning a hill with a clearing. Apparently the biggest community of people with my surname comes from Newfoundland. There are a few variants of my surname but all meaning the same.

[Cato]

I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. :o

Watkins, Jenkins, Bunnikins, Rumpelstiltzkin, Liebchen, Hahnchen, Squirrel Nutkin, Country Bumpkins, Fluffikins and Pitkin are all of a piece. This is a hypochoristic, a diminuitive, an endearing familiar form.

We are still dealing with a William, or a Wilkie or Willikins rather, but hardly the notorious Guillaume you mention!

Considering I haven't investigated my family tree to determine where my surname comes from, I'll neither confirm nor deny your post.

[Osweo]

Considering I haven't investigated my family tree to determine where my surname comes from, I'll neither confirm nor deny your post.
You needn't investigate it to confirm or deny this morphological point. No amount of genealogy has any bearing on the pure linguistics of name derivations. -kin(s) is a very widespread and recognisable Germanic diminuitive suffix.

[Angantyr]

Given that my father abandoned us when I was young, I have very little connection with my surname.

Moreover, the connection is rendered even more tenuous as the surname is totally artificial as my father changed his surname...just as his father changed his surname...and his father changed his surname.

In any event, my surname is English. My mother's maiden surname is French.

[jerney]

My surname is a pretty common Welsh name. Actually I'd say it's pretty common throughout Britain, but most common in Wales. I don't have any Welsh ancestors as far as I know, but my grandfather was born illegitimately and took his step father's surname when his mother married. His biological father was English, though and his surname came from East Sussex.

[Phlegethon]

My family name will die out with me. And it is Germanic.

[Sally]

For my father's surname:

Country FPM
SWITZERLAND 17.25
ARGENTINA 1.37
GERMANY 1.12
FRANCE 0.94
UNITED STATES 0.92

Group: EUROPEAN_OTHER WESTERN
Subgroup: GERMAN
Language: GERMAN


For my mother's surname:

Country FPM
AUSTRALIA 1947.44
UNITED KINGDOM 1812.3
NEW-ZEALAND 1711.31
UNITED STATES 1024.21
CANADA 700.27

Group: EUROPEAN_OTHER WESTERN
Subgroup: ENGLISH
Language: ENGLISH

[Guapo]

Moreover, the connection is rendered even more tenuous as the surname is totally artificial as my father changed his surname...just as his father changed his surname...and his father changed his surname.


What do you mean by that? I guess surnames were "artificial" in Serbia up to the 1800s.Basically, a son would just have his fathers name with added "son of" to it for a surname, like Germanic suffix -sson. My surname has been around for about 140 years, nothing spectacular behind it :D

[Tabiti]

What do you mean by that? I guess surnames were "artificial" in Serbia up to the 1800s.Basically, a son would just have his fathers name with added "son of" to it for a surname, like Germanic suffix -sson. My surname has been around for about 140 years, nothing spectacular behind it :D
Here used to be a stupid change of old family names in 1950's - you could get your grandfather's name as a surname, instead of staying with the old one. For instance, my grandmother's real surname was Goradjliewa (coming from "gora - forest" because her father's family owned forests), but she change it to Ivanova from Ivan, her grandfather.
Don't ask me why they did that...

[SwordoftheVistula]

From that 'public profiler' website:

EUROPEAN_OTHER WESTERN GERMAN GERMAN

Top Countries
Country FPM
GERMANY 240.97
UNITED STATES 29.12
NETHERLANDS 26
AUSTRALIA 17.6
CANADA 9.4

Top Regions
Area Name FPM
NIEDERSACHSEN , GERMANY 621.39
BREMEN , GERMANY 517.44
NORDRHEIN-WESTFALEN , GERMANY 451.79
THÜRINGEN , GERMANY 355.63
HAMBURG , GERMANY 269.0

Top Cities
City
BERLIN , BERLIN , GERMANY
HAMBURG , HAMBURG , GERMANY
DORTMUND , NORDRHEIN-WESTFALEN , GERMANY
HANNOVER , NIEDERSACHSEN , GERMANY
DUDERSTADT , NIEDERSACHSEN , GERMANY

[SwordoftheVistula]

None, I have a patronymic last name.

What's the suffix? If it is -son/-sen, then 'Germanic', if '-vich' then 'Slavic'

[Electronic God-Man]

It's a fairly uncommon Germanic name. There are some of the same name in Germany. We were English farmers. From what I have heard we were recruited as soldiers to fight the Irish. We must have done a decent job, because our name appears most frequently in Northern Ireland. The name originates in the English Midlands.

Top Countries
Country FPM
IRELAND 41.48
AUSTRALIA 25.24
UNITED KINGDOM 19.51
UNITED STATES 8.77
NEW-ZEALAND 5.29

Top Regions
Area Name FPM
NORTH EAST , IRELAND 223.94
TAUPO DISTRICT , NEW-ZEALAND 213.01
VERMONT , UNITED STATES 160.42
NORTH WEST , IRELAND 103.32
EAST , IRELAND

Top Cities
City
BIRMINGHAM , WEST MIDLANDS , UNITED KINGDOM
COVENTRY , WEST MIDLANDS , UNITED KINGDOM
LEICESTER , EAST MIDLANDS , UNITED KINGDOM
OXFORD , SOUTH EAST , UNITED KINGDOM
LEEDS , YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE , UNITED KINGDOM

[Freomæg]

I'm always such a latecomer to these threads.

My surname is Anglo-Saxon in origin. There is a village near me called 'Taplow', where the Anglo-Saxon King 'Tæppe' was buried. 'Tæppe's hlaw' (meaning Tæppe's mound) became 'Taplow'. My surname is derived from a word very similar to 'Tæppe', in the same way 'Tap' is.

And my mother's Dutch maiden name is 'Groen', whose mother's maiden name is 'Lems'. All Germanic as far as I can ascertain.

[Laudanum]

Germanic. :)

[Äike]

My surname is Estonian :)

[Catuvellaunian]

Mine's Anglo-Saxon. It derives from "Haeth" (heather) and "feld" (field, clearing), thus it seems to translate as "from the heather field", but there is a Dutch word, heideveld, which means "moor" or "heath" so maybe it means that. Interestingly the word "haeth" is also the route of the word "heathen" which is quite appropriate for my family :D

The rest of the names in my family are seemingly irish/celtic however, such as Lackey and Keeley.

[Cato]

You needn't investigate it to confirm or deny this morphological point. No amount of genealogy has any bearing on the pure linguistics of name derivations. -kin(s) is a very widespread and recognisable Germanic diminuitive suffix.

Then how do you explain the exitence of the suffix in terms of a world like Angelcynn or mancynn?

http://www.geocities.com/ednewenglish/suffix.htm

-kin

-kin means "a kin, kind, race, species, family":

Mankin "mankind", wifekin "womankind", Anglekin "the English kin", Walkin "The Welsh kin" deerkin "species of animal", fowlkin "a race of birds", fishkin "species of fish", flykin "species of fly", seedkin "a kind of seed", bookkin "a kind of book", ernkin "a kin of eagles", reedkin "kind of reed", wheatkin "kind of wheat", neatenkin "kind of animals", fivelkin "race of seamonsters", treekin "species of tree", orfkin "cattle", peasekin "kind of pease", ravenkin "a kin of ravens", hawkkin "a kin of hawks", wilderkin "species of wild beasts", wormkin "species of snake", meatkin "kind of food", nadderkin "species of snake", entkin "the race of giants", weaponedkin "the male sex", werekin "mankind", gomekin "mankind", wortkin "species of plant", applekin "kind of apple".

[Osweo]

Then how do you explain the exitence of the suffix in terms of a world like Angelcynn or mancynn?
Old English cynn is a completely different word.

Some of the words in -cynn should be regarded as educated neologisms in fact, like Angelcynn, not really part of the vernacular, but coined to make charters look impressive, giving fancy titles to kings.

http://www.geocities.com/ednewenglish/suffix.htm
Hardly the best site to link to as authoritative. It's a 'conlang' almost! Their heart's in the right place, sure, but they're creating, not describing a kind of English.

-kin
-kin means "a kin, kind, race, species, family":
Mankin "mankind", wifekin "womankind", Anglekin "the English kin", Walkin "The Welsh kin" deerkin "species of animal", fowlkin "a race of birds", fishkin "species of fish", flykin "species of fly", seedkin "a kind of seed", bookkin "a kind of book", ernkin "a kin of eagles", reedkin "kind of reed", wheatkin "kind of wheat", neatenkin "kind of animals", fivelkin "race of seamonsters", treekin "species of tree", orfkin "cattle", peasekin "kind of pease", ravenkin "a kin of ravens", hawkkin "a kin of hawks", wilderkin "species of wild beasts", wormkin "species of snake", meatkin "kind of food", nadderkin "species of snake", entkin "the race of giants", weaponedkin "the male sex", werekin "mankind", gomekin "mankind", wortkin "species of plant", applekin "kind of apple".
These are largely poetic terms. Some are from Middle English, but most witness a form of word-building that was already out of fashion. Certainly so when modern surnames were coined.

None of these examples refer to an individual. Use of this element in personal names is unattested. They are abstract nouns. Given the amount of onomastica we DO have, we can say that -cynn was not used for individual people.

The simplest explanation is often the best. When backed up with a ton of analogues as in Wilkins, it's as good as definite.

[Eldritch]

If I were an Anglo, I'd be called "John Hillman".

If I were Italian, I'd be called "Giovanni Delmonte".

If I were Spanish, I'd be called "Juán del Monte".

My surname is the fifth most common one in Finland. Finnish surnames often refer to geographical locations; hills, ridges, lakes, rivers, valleys, swamps, etc. If you take your atlas out of your bookshelf and open the page with the map of Finland on in, you'll see that between the eastern Tavastian towns of Lahti and Heinola there is a place called "Mäkelä".

[Cato]

Old English cynn is a completely different word.

Some of the words in -cynn should be regarded as educated neologisms in fact, like Angelcynn, not really part of the vernacular, but coined to make charters look impressive, giving fancy titles to kings.

Hardly the best site to link to as authoritative. It's a 'conlang' almost! Their heart's in the right place, sure, but they're creating, not describing a kind of English.

These are largely poetic terms. Some are from Middle English, but most witness a form of word-building that was already out of fashion. Certainly so when modern surnames were coined.

None of these examples refer to an individual. Use of this element in personal names is unattested. They are abstract nouns. Given the amount of onomastica we DO have, we can say that -cynn was not used for individual people.

The simplest explanation is often the best. When backed up with a ton of analogues as in Wilkins, it's as good as definite.

My delving into Old English word usage, prefixes, suffixes and whatnot is spotty. I've got some OE grammar books and a "how-to" book with an audio CD. I'll file this information away, food for thought. :thumb001:

[Óttar]

My surname comes from England, but it has a cognate in French. It is an antiquated term for a carpenter or someone who works with wood.

[Germanicus]

My surname is anglo saxon meaning a hill with a clearing, i am surprised that other euro countries use it as it is pretty rare in the uk.

UK 93.19
AUSTRALIA 50.35
CANADA 33.24
NZ 20.01
1RELAND 18.51
UNITED STATES 3.71
SWITZ 3.19
ESPANIA 0.94
HOLLAND O.86
FRANCE 0.44

[Octothorpe]

It is Anglo-Saxon, from Devon, England. My ancestors left there in the 1630s to come to America. The meaning is:

"A kind of door or floodgate. These ancient stops consisted of sundry great stakes and piles erected by fishermen in the river Thames or other streams, for their better convenience of securing fish. Also, a term for gates leading to deer-parks or forests."

My feeling, based on where in Devon my ancestors came from, is that the second meaning is the one which gave Dad's family a name.

As for Mom's family (her Dad's family), it is "first recorded in the Records of Whalley Abbey, Lancashire circa 1250 as "Fagheside." . . . share the same meaning and derivation, which is the "multi-coloured hillside", derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century "fag", "Fah", brightly coloured, variegated, flowery with "side", slope."

Interesting that both are derived from places or objects, rather than occupations, as are so many others.

[Stefan]

My surname is the Spanish name "Cuevas" which is the plural word for "cave". My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Leguillou which from what I find is a french name referring to an older dialect of French that I assume used a different word for the. My mother's surname is Haman which is a deviation of Hamann which is a German name that I don't know a translation for. My maternal grandmother's maiden name was Reinhart, which means "Pure Heart" in most germanic languages.
So yep I'm probably one of the most mixed groups of Europeans in the United States.

[Mesrine]

This map is deceptive, it shows that my surname is most common in Northwestern Italy, but my family came from the Northeast (where it was already very rare, and probably extinct now).

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/3553/gif1html.jpg

[Ankoù]

My surname is the Spanish name "Cuevas" which is the plural word for "cave". My paternal grandmother's maiden name was Leguillou which from what I find is a french name referring to an older dialect of French that I assume used a different word for the.

Leguillou or Le Guillou ?
Le Guillou is Breton.

[Murphy]

My surname is Murphy an anglicised version of Ó Murchadha/Mac Murchadha of Celtic origin it is derived from and old Irish word for "sea warrior". It's the most common surname in Ireland :D;)! I also have some Devlin (Ó Doibhilin) and Donegan (Ó Doibhilin) of Irish origin, and a MacDonald of Scottish origin.

Regards,
Eóin.

[Paleo]

(Lawson family being a Sept of the clan MacLaren)

Celtic origin: http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/maclare.html

clan septs: The variety of surnames within a Scottish clan do not represent separate and definable sub-clans but instead reflect the vagaries of transition of the Gaels into the English naming system as well as marriages, migrations and occupations. The main family itself may have developed a variety of surnames. http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/septs.htm

Their is most likely a Germanic (probably Norman) link too.

[Stefan]

Leguillou or Le Guillou ?
Le Guillou is Breton.

Le Guillou, but when she moved to Puerto Rico(she was born in Spain) the space was omitted.

Edit: Actually they are both from the same origin just one is a deviation of the other.

[Bard]

My father's surname is typical Venetian, it means "miller or someone who owns/works in a Mill" my mother's surname instead is of Austrian origin.

[asulf]

Mine is too famous, I prefer silence. Is von ......:D
Country FPM
GERMANY 2741.28
AUSTRIA 2702.57
LUXEMBOURG 2525.1
HUNGARY 870.2
UNITED STATES 718.92
CANADA 379.59
SWITZERLAND 354.59
DENMARK 306.35
AUSTRALIA 205.42
FRANCE 204.33

[Liffrea]

Stevenson.

Stephen is a Greek name and means “crown”, son is a Scandinavian name ending.

The name seemingly first appears in 1388, one John Steywynson (interestingly enough my fathers name is John). It appears in Scotland (Argyllshire I believe). Another source has the name first appearing in 1296, one Johann De Steueneston swearing fealty to Edward (Longshanks). Either way they seem to have been of Norman descent and owned land in the Argyllshire region. One source has it as a sept name of the Stewart clan (later kings of Scotland and England), who came north in the reign of King David of Scotland 1085-1153. Another source claims that they are a sept of the Mac Gregors. At my parents wedding there were a large number of Scots, I think they were Pattersons, though, not sure of their clan…..

Anyway the surname is still found mostly in south-west Scotland and in the East Midlands of England (which is where I live).

[la bombe]

I have my mother's maiden name which is originally Italian but also found in Spain and Portugal and is derived from a Saint's name. My father's surname is German and apparently is "a nickname for a robust person, from Middle High German stehelin ‘made of hardened iron’".

[Radojica]

Mine is actually Romance in origin, it's Romanian, from Western part of Romania :eek:

[Falkata]

Both of my surnames are very common in Galicia.
Yeah very original and amazing :coffee:

[Comte Arnau]

The origins of my surnames are Romance and Basque.

[Stefan]

Using this website, my surname seems to be most common in Cantabria and Andalusia. It is also common in near the capital as well. This works out great, because from what I've found in records I just got my great grandfather was born Sevilla.
http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames/Default.aspx

[Loxias]

My surname is Romance. It is an Occitan surname derived from a vulgar latin word meaning wise, wise-man. It's not extremely commong, nor is it very rare.

[Comte Arnau]

Using this website, my surname seems to be most common in Cantabria and Andalusia. It is also common in near the capital as well. This works out great, because from what I've found in records I just got my great grandfather was born Sevilla.
http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames/Default.aspx

If your surnames are from Spain, use these links for better accuracy:

http://www.ine.es/fapel/FAPEL.INICIO

http://www.miparentela.com/mapas

If strictly for Andalusia:

http://www.juntadeandalucia.es:9002/bd/nomApeBD/busqueda.jsp?t=a

[Stefan]

If your surnames are from Spain, use these links for better accuracy:

http://www.ine.es/fapel/FAPEL.INICIO

http://www.miparentela.com/mapas

If strictly for Andalusia:

http://www.juntadeandalucia.es:9002/bd/nomApeBD/busqueda.jsp?t=a

Yeah that confirms it. My surname seems to be scattered. It is most common in Andalusia, Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, and Cantabria. Most of those are very large cities though, so I don't know how accurate that is. It seems to be associated with the south the most also. It doesn't seem to be common in any rural areas. For reference, my surname is "Cuevas".

Edit: I've been finding the name Montijo a lot as well. From my understanding it is a basque name?

[Svipdag]

My surname is English. It means "from France". At present, it is commonest in Wales. My Y-DNA shows no matches in England or Wales and none at the 12/12 level in France.

[Black Turlogh]

My family name originates in Mayo, as I understand it. It's said to trace to the Uí Fiachrach, which was one of the ruling dynasties of Connacht. The most likely meaning of the name is 'shoemaker'.

[Comte Arnau]

Yeah that confirms it. My surname seems to be scattered. It is most common in Andalusia, Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona, and Cantabria. Most of those are very large cities though, so I don't know how accurate that is. It seems to be associated with the south the most also. It doesn't seem to be common in any rural areas. For reference, my surname is "Cuevas".

Edit: I've been finding the name Montijo a lot as well. From my understanding it is a basque name?

Well, any surname will obviously have a high presence in the big cities, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville... But when there is a high presence in a less populated province, that is usually indicator of the origin. In the case of Cuevas, yes, it seems the origin is right in the north, in Cantabria. Although there seems to be also a high number in the very South, around the area of Cadiz and Malaga. Often widespread surnames may have more than one ultimate origins.

As for Montijo, it seems to be one of those Hispanic surnames that are far more common in the Americas than in Spain. It doesn't seem Basque to me, rather Southern.

[Sarmata]

Well my surname it's nothing unussual just typical Polish peasants surname ...But surname from my mother side were much more interesting. It was "Woiński"(part of this surname, word Woi(j) means "warrior" in my mother language, and my family from my Grandfathers side were in fact descendants of Polish nobles!). I'm very proud of such heritage.

[Birka]

My surname is Baltic and it is a common surname in Latvia. A important military and political person in the history of our country and indipendence had the same name!! :cool: I like it. Hm i dont want to tell my surname but the German surname of my grandfather was " Leinenbach".

Hm who is the other with a Baltic surname?? :confused: Rise your finger!! :D

My father's father and mother came from Lithuania. My mother's grandparents came from Poland. So I am 50% Baltic and 50% Slavic.

My son is 3/8 German, 1/4 Lithuanian, 1/4 Polish and 1/8 Welsh. He is a very fair skinned, darker red haired ginger.

[Scyldwulf]

My surname is Hibbert - a modern contraction of the Germanic elements 'Hilde' and 'Bert' meaning 'battle/warrior' and 'bright/proud/strife' there are a few other (very very similar - different words for the same thing) translations too.

With my ancestry on my fathers side being exclusively English, I would assume the name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon descriptive name 'Hildebeorht' and was contracted and developed into a surname sometime around 1000AD, when having a surname became the social norm.

[Eldwin]

My surname is English basically meaning "homestead". Its not very common but on our Facebook group there are also people from Germany and Belgium with the name. Not so rare that my family are the only ones, but far from common, so much so that people misread and mispronounce it all the time, or confuse it for a much more common and similar sounding name.

[Gooding]

My surname, Gooding, is quite English and is a patronym that means "descendant of Godwin". My ancestor, George Gooding, was born in Somerset, England in 1633 and migrated to Plymouth, Massachussetts.

[Lahtari]

My surname is, surprizingly, Finnish.

One could say my family is a concentration of odd or rare surnames. Not much -nen endings here. :p

[Lahtari]

Gooding
Hmm, as with numerous other accounts, I was wondering who that Siegfried guy was who seemingly popped out of nowhere with 1,600 posts and almost a year old account.. :mmmm:

Damn name-changers.. I would condemn you all to hell, but since I'm an atheist I condemn you to have endless dealings with an ex-East-Bloc bureaucracy of your choice, with the exclusion of the most vodka-lubricable ones. :D :cussing

[Amapola]

As a Spaniard I have two, one is basque and the another one is Germanic. ;)

[Ariets]

Fathers Slavic, very Polish and hard to spell for foreigners (and some natives too, lol). Mothers Germanic.

[Fred]

As a Spaniard I have two, one is basque and the another one is Germanic. ;)I had a feeling you're Basque.

My name, I already posted elsewhere, is a placename with a Modern English form (modified by Breton accent, typography and influence) of an earlier one which has only been found in Old Swedish, which is attested by the earliest recorded dweller in the Domesday Book, Yorkshire section under Count Alan. His name, if he were to have a surname, would be Auduid Fritheby, both spellings unique to Swedish.

Who cares if people stereotype vikings as Danish (it's bad enough when expected to swallow Anglo-Saxonism from Mercia and Wessex), when the rulers of your kingdom of Northumbria are Norwegian of Yngling origin in Uppsala and your own line just happens to coincide with that, as well as the Swedish origin of Ivar the Boneless and Halfdan Hvitserk (sons of Ragnar Lodbrok) whom were also representative of Swedish kings over western Scandinavians, although it is true that the Danes and Swedes were once one people? (in Roman times, of course) I believe that it is more than likely, in order for a name to be carried such an unusual distance, the landlord (my forefather), had to be of the jarl type rather than the bond (why would a bond go out of his way and with what resources?), definitely not thrall and no delusions about konung.

Perhaps they were huskarls for Clan Ivarr. Regardless, they tended to fence-sit when it came to Anglo-Scottish issues on the border. Ideally, they would be free from English control, but not subject to Scottish raids either...being summoned to defend England from invasion, used as the buffer between the English and those they wished to dominate.

My placename heritage has records showing that it was its own little town, complete with a constabulary or justice of the peace and even deputy lieutenant for the North Riding of Yorkshire, chapel and almshouse, monastic farm and farm houses (mostly shepherds and cowboys) all around. They did some mining and textiles too--hunting was the recreation.

My name is nigh well established in Appalachian America, but my specific lineage is from the time of Edward VII, right before the Great War. It only makes sense that Middlesboro, Kentucky, should be where it is...but my family were mill workers on the trail of Samuel Slater, father of the Industrial Revolution in America, so they headed for the first mill town in America.


My mother's maiden name is from the border of Somerset and Dorsetshire in Wessex; it means boundary stones or pillars. Her family came in the time of Charles I to Massachusetts.

Firby: England
West: England
Robinson: England
Buxton: England
Hosmer: England
Arnold: England
Threshier: England
Baker: England
Staples: England
Leary: Ireland
Paquette: France
Courtemanche: France
Hammonds: England
Collins: England
Cuzzart: France
Holland: England

[Sventovit]

My surname is a highly unusual Russian surname (I've not met nor been able to find online anyone with the surname outside of my direct relatives) that I can trace with fairly good certainty to minor southern Russian nobility in 1525.

[Osweo]

and the another one is Germanic. ;)
Tut tut! Why such false modesty? It's a Gothic name of the very most highest and prestigious antecedants... :cheers2:;)

My name, ... is attested by the earliest recorded dweller in the Domesday Book, Yorkshire ... spellings unique to Swedish. ... Perhaps they were huskarls for Clan Ivarr.
I'm actually writing something on Domesday personal names now. I should point out, I'm afraid, that there's a long time between 1065 and the 850s. By analogy with the western slopes of the Pennines, the landowners from 1065 may be from a later stratum of Danes than the Halfdan and Ivarr one. It's possible that the line could have established themselves there in Knut's day. Also, and this is the pattern in Lonsdale and Westmorland, they might have been awarded the land as military dependents of Tostig, Earl of Northumberland.

Firby: England
My dictionary has William de Friby, 1219; RObert de Fritheby, 1251; NIcholas Furby, 1296. Interesting name.

Hosmer: England
Ah, a variant of Osmer, from a name not unrelated to my username, Osmaer (God-Fame). Do you know where it's from?

[Trog]

My surname is typically a "Mc" and is from Roscommon, Ireland. The way it is written and prononced is actually an error of its original spelling, probably because a Scot recorded it from the way an Irish immigrant said it. It's not very common due to the pre-fix of "Mc" being retained in our family name.

Other surnames in my ancestral tree:

Stewart - Scottish
McGuire - Irish
Nocca - obscure origins
Gallagher - Irish
Wilson - Scottish

[Fred]

My surname is typically a "Mc" and is from Roscommon, Ireland. The way it is written and prononced is actually an error of its original spelling, probably because a Scot recorded it from the way an Irish immigrant said it. It's not very common due to the pre-fix of "Mc" being retained in our family name.

Other surnames in my ancestral tree:

Stewart - Scottish
McGuire - Irish
Nocca - obscure origins
Gallagher - Irish
Wilson - ScottishGlaswegian, are ye? (just like Connery) McGuire, eh? Well, I know of a certain "Mark"...Gallagher, just like the Oasis brothers, LMAO! (no offence) Wilson, like Thomas Woodrow...and Stewart! ;)


Tut tut! Why such false modesty? It's a Gothic name of the very most highest and prestigious antecedants... :cheers2:;)

I'm actually writing something on Domesday personal names now. I should point out, I'm afraid, that there's a long time between 1065 and the 850s. By analogy with the western slopes of the Pennines, the landowners from 1065 may be from a later stratum of Danes than the Halfdan and Ivarr one. It's possible that the line could have established themselves there in Knut's day. Also, and this is the pattern in Lonsdale and Westmorland, they might have been awarded the land as military dependents of Tostig, Earl of Northumberland.

My dictionary has William de Friby, 1219; RObert de Fritheby, 1251; NIcholas Furby, 1296. Interesting name.

Ah, a variant of Osmer, from a name not unrelated to my username, Osmaer (God-Fame). Do you know where it's from?Yes, the Christian Goths were very interesting, in that they freely chose to do in Rome as the Romans do, for the most part and were the first to translate runes to the alphabet all other Nordic nations now have. That's different from the revisionist ideology which wishes history was different and that the Goths had never assimilated. The Vandals in Carthage are even more mysteriously interesting, regardless of what they did or did not do.

I share your enthusiasm for this Domesday heritage!

Yes, finally somebody who actually respects my surname for its obvious character, rather than make fun of it!

The Hosmers were Marian opponents and one was a martyr at Lewes. My line goes to the Weald (whence they had escaped), but they of course lived in Lewes in the Tudor time, but had been moving from Dorset since the time of Edward the Confessor. They might have had some pull in Winchester, who knows?:D

The Robinson family tradition is that Robin Hood is the ancestor!;)

[Wölfin]

My actual surname is Germanic, it is most likely derived from Haginwald meaning if I recall correctly "master of the enclosure (like a horse pen or cattle pen)".

The other close names in my tree are Van den Burgh (Dutch), Todd (English and this family branch originated in Yorkshire) and MacDonald (Scottish ;) ). Simpson is also a significant one.

[The Lawspeaker]

Dutch. my name is probably Hollandic. Although the first man with my family name is mentioned as far back as 1298. In Bruges, Flanders so it is rather peculiar. Online the first person I found with my last name is a beguine from (probably) Rijswijk in Holland who was born around 1320.

[Graham]

Glaswegian, are ye? (just like Connery) McGuire, eh? Well, I know of a certain "Mark"...Gallagher, just like the Oasis brothers, LMAO! (no offence) Wilson, like Thomas Woodrow...and Stewart! ;)


Connerys fae Edinburgh. I dont think the folk in Edinburgh would like him to be known as a weegie. There's a wee bit of friendly rivalry between the 2 citys. :)



Nocca - obscure origins



nocca's a strange surname, never heard of it.:confused3:

[Trog]

Connerys fae Edinburgh. I dont think the folk in Edinburgh would like him to be known as a weegie. There's a wee bit of friendly rivalry between the 2 citys. :)

That's true, he is from Edinburgh. However, he is of Irish-Catholic extraction too, which is common for Weegies. Technically, I'm not a weegie, since I originate from the Lanark areas. But certainly Glasgow feels like my home city, even I feel like a tourist in Edinburgh.




nocca's a strange surname, never heard of it.:confused3:

Yeah, I know, I've seen links to Italy, but also also a Gaelic translation too somewhere. It was my paternal great-grandmother's name and her daughter, my granny, died in May this year, aged 94.

This is my granny here when she was in her late 60s/70s with her son and daughter.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Trog/Family/GranJim.jpg

[Fred]

Connerys fae Edinburgh. I dont think the folk in Edinburgh would like him to be known as a weegie. There's a wee bit of friendly rivalry between the 2 citys. :)



nocca's a strange surname, never heard of it.:confused3:Well, Glasgow and Edinburgh are two ends of the same spectrum. Holy Mother Kirk says so.


That's true, he is from Edinburgh. However, he is of Irish-Catholic extraction too, which is common for Weegies. Technically, I'm not a weegie, since I originate from the Lanark areas. But certainly Glasgow feels like my home city, even I feel like a tourist in Edinburgh.





Yeah, I know, I've seen links to Italy, but also also a Gaelic translation too somewhere. It was my paternal great-grandmother's name and her daughter, my granny, died in May this year, aged 94.

This is my granny here when she was in her late 60s/70s with her son and daughter.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Trog/Family/GranJim.jpgItaly would not do a disservice to you.:D I have crossed the Tiber with you in this very same respect, after going through Savoie first. What would be more interesting, is finding the Strait of Messina in there.

[Graham]

That's true, he is from Edinburgh. However, he is of Irish-Catholic extraction too, which is common for Weegies. Technically, I'm not a weegie, since I originate from the Lanark areas. But certainly Glasgow feels like my home city, even I feel like a tourist in Edinburgh.





Yeah, I know, I've seen links to Italy, but also also a Gaelic translation too somewhere. It was my paternal great-grandmother's name and her daughter, my granny, died in May this year, aged 94.

This is my granny here when she was in her late 60s/70s with her son and daughter.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Trog/Family/GranJim.jpg

Yeah it does sound Italian-ish ,That name shouldn't be to hard to find in the census if you're doing family trees and stuff.

[Fred]

Yeah it does sound Italian-ish ,That name shouldn't be to hard to find in the census if you're doing family trees and stuff.http://www.ancestry.com/facts/nocca-places-origin.ashx

[Trog]

Well, Glasgow and Edinburgh are two ends of the same spectrum. Holy Mother Kirk says so.

Hmm, they're quite different, at least from my perspective they are. Speech, mannerisms, even outlook. Edinburgh is aesthetically beautiful, Glasgow is not, it's quite an ugly city, terrible skyline views.


Italy would not do a disservice to you.:D I have crossed the Tiber with you in this very same respect, after going through Savoie first. What would be more interesting, is finding the Strait of Messina in there.

I love Italy and all things about it; it is my favourite country, favourite food, archaeology, history, music, literature, style, architecture, language, and of course, religion. Italy is like my spiritual home, so I would certainly welcome any link. But it's unconfirmed due to my GG being adopted and taking the surname Gallagher to replace the more enigmatic Nocca.

[Fred]

Hmm, they're quite different, at least from my perspective they are. Speech, mannerisms, even outlook. Edinburgh is aesthetically beautiful, Glasgow is not, it's quite an ugly city, terrible skyline views.Sure. This is what I illustrated.


I love Italy and all things about it; it is my favourite country, favourite food, archaeology, history, music, literature, style, architecture, language, and of course, religion. Italy is like my spiritual home, so I would certainly welcome any link. But it's unconfirmed due to my GG being adopted and taking the surname Gallagher to replace the more enigmatic Nocca.I have an adopted GGG too, name changed to Baker, which is an old Massachusetts family. Her daughter looks Mediterranean, but I cannot be sure.

[Poltergeist]

From a personal name.

[Monolith]

Slavic, from a tree.

[Amarantine]

Croatian:P

[Monolith]

Croatian:P
What's your last name then? Horvatić? :P

[ikki]

one pannordic, and spread into netherlands, britain and beyond, without being common... including famous (and infamous) people... evidently had something to do with industrialisation getting started and the iron bridge etc :p


madmen, women.. crazed inventors, cooks and all around rebels. Industrialists, linked here and there to various marquises etc... like entertaining the spanish marquis who under nappy took hamburg and managed to send the brittish court home without going via nappy et guillotines :D
And nowadays niggnoggs use a derivative :(

[W. R.]

My surname is quite rare and I doubt that it can be found somewhere outside Belarus. Most probably the stem of it is a Christian name which is very rare here now. The name may be a variant of prophet Haggai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggai)’s name, or a name of one of forty martyrs of Sebaste (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Martyrs_of_Sebaste).

The ending -vič used to be a patronymic suffix, now surnames with this ending are quite common in Belarus as well as, it seems, in some countries of former Yugoslavia.

[Rusalka]

I did a little search on my surname some time ago and it would seem that it phonetically resembles the Polish word for "swamp" (bajoro).

Other hypotheses floating in the air are that it could stem from the Russian "boyar" (In the territory of the Great Duchy of Lithuania "boyar" was a warrior and "bajoras" designated a nobleman - certainly more stately than a simple "swamp", if you ask me) or that it has its origin in a Lithuanian name for a village.

[Grey]

My surname is an Italian derivative of the name Noir (which means I got made fun of a lot in school :p ). That ancestor moved to Genoa from France (don't know from where) and from there moved to Gibraltar, Spain, and from there joined the European Regiment of the Confederate Army and ended up in New Orleans. There my ancestor, Domingo Negro*****, married a German woman and thereafter their descendants only married other Germans until one a few generations back married a half Acadian and my father who also married an Acadian (who is also part German). My mom also has negligible British ancestry.

So I'm a bit over half German and a bit under half French with an Italian last name. Damn that's complicated. Most other names in my family are of Germanic (Frankish, Norman, German) origin, with some of Breton and some of merely French origin and one of Swiss origin.

[Ulf]

I got my surname from my dad.

[Electronic God-Man]

I got my surname from my dad.

I'm proud of you, son.

[Ladejarlen]

Germanic. Its a name from a farm on a island on Helgeland. My family still owns it, and Hårek fra Tjøtta killed a local chieftain on our farm by binding the poor man between two horses and then sending them off in different directions.

[Yelpster]

My surname is Welsh by origin, although I'm fairly certain that it has been Anglicized from its most basic form. It is pretty common here in the US (although less so today than was the case in earlier periods of US history). In my family history there seems to be a nearly even mixture of English and Welsh names...

[Svanhild]

My surname is an old German name, thus solely Germanic.

[Majar]

Finno-Ugric (maiden name was Germanic).

[Loddfafner]

My own surname is English and if I were to seek their traces I would have to look up Drustan. It is an occupational name much like Miller or Tailor except that the occupation is among the world's oldest. It is equivalent to 'pimp' or maybe 'madam'. Aside from some youthful indiscretions, I have not lived up to it.

[Amapola]

I got my surname from my dad.

And I had it from my mam too :p

[The Khagan]

The origin of my surname is rather ambiguous at times. It's Nelson, at a glance it's obviously a Germanic origin name, namely Scandinavian, but it hails from Ireland as well. Goes back to the time of Viking occupation. I'm Irish on one side of my family and Swedish/Norwegian on the other, so it's a toss up. The surname comes from the Swedish/Norge side.

[Grumpy Cat]

I have a Scandinavian last name.

[curiousman]

Yeah, I know, I've seen links to Italy, but also also a Gaelic translation too somewhere. It was my paternal great-grandmother's name and her daughter, my granny, died in May this year, aged 94.

This is my granny here when she was in her late 60s/70s with her son and daughter.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Trog/Family/GranJim.jpg


Nocca is not so a common Italian surname but probably it stems from Apulia.

[curiousman]

The origin of my family name is from Germany. Centuries ago, I don't know exactly when and from where, they came in the alpine part of the Veneto region and then they spread all over Northeastern Italy. During centuries the spelling of the surname was adapted phonetically to Italian spelling (loss of umlaut and one consonant) but its German origin is still recognizable.

The maiden name of my mother is very rare in Italy, almost extinct and of obscure origin, probably the italianiced form of a slavic name.

[Pallantides]

My surname is of German origin.

[noricum]

My name is typically Bavarian/Austrian, thus of germanic origin. I can't say much about its meaning cause it would be too easy for you to find out what my name is. All I can say is that it has to do with mountains.

http://i650.photobucket.com/albums/uu227/roapazeinli/meinoumde.png

http://i650.photobucket.com/albums/uu227/roapazeinli/meinoumat.png

[curiousman]

My name is typically Bavarian/Austrian, thus of germanic origin. I can't say much about its meaning cause it would be too easy for you to find out what my name is. All I can say is that it has to do with mountains.



Hallo noricum.

Have you ever tried to see if it is present in Italy too (maybe in Suedtirol):

http://www.gens.labo.net/it/cognomi/

[Fortis in Arduis]

My surname is Celtic and it describes the facial features of my clan, and it is not flattering either.

It is most common in north-west Scotland.

[Jarlsson]

My surname I would describe as being more Scandinavian than anything else:P
It is within the top 5 common surnames in Norway, Sweden and Danmark I think.
And it might be written with some twists at the ending. F,ex "son", "sen",

[noricum]

Hallo noricum.

Have you ever tried to see if it is present in Italy too (maybe in Suedtirol):

http://www.gens.labo.net/it/cognomi/

Thanks for the link, curiousman!

Thats how it looks in Italy:
http://i650.photobucket.com/albums/uu227/roapazeinli/italien.jpg

[kosmonomad]

No clue about the name's origin but it means The Joker. In other languages it has other meanings

[curiousman]

Thanks for the link, curiousman!

Thats how it looks in Italy:
http://i650.photobucket.com/albums/uu227/roapazeinli/italien.jpg

It is mainly present in South Tyrol/ Alto Adige as it was easily predictable.

[Jarl]

It is mainly present in South Tyrol/ Alto Adige as it was easily predictable.

Are there any Slovenes, living in the vicinity???

[curiousman]

Are there any Slovenes, living in the vicinity???


Not in South Tyrol :D

Slovenes live near the border with Slovenia (predictable, huh). I have some Slovenian ancestry too.

Slovenian dialects:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/it/c/cd/Mappa_dialetti_sloveni.svg

[Moonbird]

My surname is Swedish. Germanic.

[d3cimat3d]

Mine means "to spit" in Russian.

[Turkophagos]

100% Maniot. (Proper maniot names have either an -eas or -akos ending)

[The Ripper]

My family name is derived from the name of farmstead, but I'm not sure if the origin of that name is "Germanic" or "Finnic". Probably "Germanic".

[Ibericus]

Germanic origin. Lots of spanish common surnames are of germanic origin, like Fernandez or Alonso.

[Jack B]

Mine's Irish..

[Psychonaut]

Germanic origin. Lots of spanish common surnames are of germanic origin, like Fernandez or Alonso.

Do you suspect that yours is one of the Gothic or Frankish ones?

[Bloodeagle]

My surname is Anglo Saxon. It is associated with the personal name Eadda/Aedda and rooted in the South of England in the vicinity of Kent/Buckinghamshire in the mid-11th century.
It is thought by some to originate from the village of Adstock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adstock).

[Wyn]

Depending on the source, English, Irish, or Scotch...

[Megrez]

My two surnames:

http://www.theapricity.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5286&d=1279230659
http://www.theapricity.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=5285&d=1279230659

[Curtis24]

I'm not sure. Does "German Jew" classify as Germanic?

[The Lawspeaker]

I'm not sure. Does "German Jew" classify as Germanic?
No.

[Peasant]

Depends if the names actually Jewish or a name Jews often use.

[Aramis]

Just Slavic. Pan-Slavic, that is.

[Sahson]

my fathers is french, from normandy. but the surname i posess comes from Gascogne.

[Curtis24]

Depends if the names actually Jewish or a name Jews often use.

The name is "Klaus".

[Birka]

Only two Baltic? I need to recruit. :)

[Peasant]

The name is "Klaus".

"German: from the personal name Klaus, a reduced form of Nikolaus"
http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Nicholas-name-meaning.ashx

[Graham]

http://robertpotts.co.uk/images/bordernames.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Reivers


Right on the borders

[Lithium]

Petrov:
Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Croatian: patronymic from the personal names Pyotr (Russian), Petr (Bulgarian) and Petar ( Serbian, and Croatian) (see Peter). It may also be a reduced form of Slovenian Petrovic, patronymic from the personal name Peter.
There are some mistakes actually... There is no form of the name Petr in Bulgarian, in Bulgarian is Petar - the same in Serbian and Croatian

[Turkophagos]

Petrov:
Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Croatian: patronymic from the personal names Pyotr (Russian), Petr (Bulgarian) and Petar ( Serbian, and Croatian) (see Peter). It may also be a reduced form of Slovenian Petrovic, patronymic from the personal name Peter.
There are some mistakes actually... There is no form of the name Petr in Bulgarian, in Bulgarian is Petar - the same in Serbian and Croatian

Greek name with a slavic ending.

[Lithium]

as you wish... :D

[Turkophagos]

as you wish... :D

Peter \p(e)-ter\ is pronounced PEE-ter. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Peter is "rock". Variant of Petros.


Are you feeling uneasy with your greek ancestry?

[Lithium]

I am 100% Bulgarian 200 years back in the past...

[Aramis]

I am 100% Bulgarian 200 years back in the past...

And 500 (or any other number) years back?

[Guapo]

I am 100% Bulgarian 200 years back in the past...

Alot names are Greek in origin, Bulgar. Greeks gave Europeans many things. Greece is Europe, Europe is Greece. The rest are poseurs.

[Guapo]

Mine's a French name with a Slavic ending.

[Lithium]

But this doesn't means that all the slavs with the surname Petrov have greek ancestry...
Aramis, I said 200, because I know my family tree to grand-grand-grand parents

[Aramis]

But this doesn't means that all the slavs with the surname Petrov have greek ancestry...
Aramis, I said 200, because I know my family tree to grand-grand-grand parents

Yes, but it seemed to me as if you designate a certain importance to that specific number.
Would you consider yourself Bulgarian if you'd find out that most of your ancestors came 300 years ago from, e.g. Serbia, or one even from Turkey?

And what about if it was only 100, not 200 years (hipoteticly speaking)?

The point and final quetsion here is, how long did your ancestors have to be Bulgarians for you, to consider yourself as such?

[Lithium]

Of course, I would consider myself as a Bulgarian, but not 100% ethnic clear Bulgarian, if they came from another country...
If my grand-grand parents are born in Bulgaria and they are ethnically Bulgarians , them I am one too. For me, personally, the blood really matters, I hate "people" like fucking gypsies, pomacks, turks and etc to call themselfs Bulgarians... they are just not ethnically Bulgarians.

[Aramis]

Of course, I would consider myself as a Bulgarian, but not 100% ethnic clear Bulgarian, if they came from another country...
If my grand-grand parents are born in Bulgaria and they are ethnically Bulgarians , them I am one too. For me, personally, the blood really matters, I hate "people" like fucking gypsies, pomacks, turks and etc to call themselfs Bulgarians... they are just not ethnically Bulgarians.

Ok, so in order to be considered as a fully ethnic Bulgarian, you'd need all of your ancestors to be such from the very begining of this ethnic gorup?
In this case, chances are hight that you are not a 100% ethnic Bulgarian.

Btw, if we are to talk about blood, I was told by each and every Bulgarian I've met (real life and internet) Pomaks to be Bulgarian converts to Islam. This would make them culturally not your kin, indeed, but they are nonetheless from the same ethnic stock.

[Lithium]

The very begining of my ethnic group isn't from my grand-grand parents ;]

[Aramis]

The very begining of my ethnic group isn't from my grand-grand parents ;]

Quite obvious, and that's why I pointed out that you (and almost all Bulgarians alike) could never be considered 100 % ethnic Bulgarians if we are to use your criteria. You didn't answer my question though, that's why I'm not even sure that this is your viewpoint.

If not, then where from in the past does ones ancestry need to begin being part of a respective ethnic group in order for their descendents to be members of the same. I.e. does it mean that a certain time period has to pass?
Under these circumstances, the existence of the Croatian nation (for example, as there are others too) would be put into question in the first place, as a great deal of Croatians have Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Romanian etc. ancestry, as recent as 200 years.

[Lithium]

As I told you, the blood has the most matter to me. So, if my grand-grand parents are Bulgarians, then I am one too. And please, if you have anything more to tell me about this, use a PM. Thanks!

[Aramis]

As I told you, the blood has the most matter to me. So, if my grand-grand parents are Bulgarians, then I am one too. And please, if you have anything more to tell me about this, use a PM. Thanks!

I am not trying to tell you anything, yet simply asking questions and inquiring answers for matters I'm interested in.

But ok.

[jerney]

Can't remember if I commented in this thread, but I have a very common Welsh surname. My paternal line is not Welsh though, it's English. My grandfather was born illegitimately and was adopted by his step-father and in turn took his surname.

[Curtis24]

My surname is German, supposedly German Jewish. However, its far removed as an indicator of my ancestry. My original "Klaus" ancestor was from Bavaria; he married a native woman from Kentucky. His own son married a French woman of French Huguenot lineage. Their son married a Czech immigrant. His son, my dad, married a woman of a whole different set of mixed lineage whose own surname was Ducth(we think).

Genealogy is fun!

On a related note, what are the best sites for figuring out the origins of your surnames?

[kdm1984]

Mudock(h)=Scottish=Celtic

[Electronic God-Man]

I had earlier voted Germanic, but if one etymology is correct I'm looking at it ultimately being Arabic in origin! :d

[Arne]

I had earlier voted Germanic, but if one etymology is correct I'm looking at it ultimately being Arabic in origin! :d

Djihad ?? :rolleyes2:

[Great Dane]

Sorensen, Danish Germanic

[Osweo]

I had earlier voted Germanic, but if one etymology is correct I'm looking at it ultimately being Arabic in origin! :d

If it makes you feel any better, we can always trace the Arabic word a little further back to Aramaic! :D

[Electronic God-Man]

If it makes you feel any better, we can always trace the Arabic word a little further back to Aramaic! :D

Which is proof-positive that I am Jesus.

[Guapo]

Solomon/Suleyman :d?

[Svipdag]

I have been told that my surname means "from France", which seems logical.
However, my Y-DNA shows no matches at 12/12 sites and, at 11/12 sites, only random matches, one of which is in France. At 10/12 sites, there are no matches in France, but 13 in Switzerland and 12 in Germany

If the name came from France, there is precious little evidence to suggest that my bloodline did.

[Grumpy Cat]

My last name means "Son of Henry". But I'm not a son, nor is my father's name Henry.

My surname is found in England, Scotland, France, Norway, Denmark, Germany, and wait for it... India.

India???

[Simonsson]

My current one is a result of the "Estonianisation" of surnames in the 20s-30s of the previous century, before that the paternal line was named Simonson, I suppose it should be of Swedish origin given that's where my paternal line should come, albeit I'm wondering if it might have gone from Simonsson to Simonson during the time of living in Estland.

[The Ripper]

My current one (Astmäe) is a result of the "Estonianisation" of surnames in the 20s-30s of the previous century, before that the paternal line was named Simonson, I suppose it should be of Swedish origin given that's where my paternal line should come, albeit I'm wondering if it might have gone from Simonsson to Simonson during the time of living in Estland.

At least in Finland it was standard practice for commoners to be marked as Anderssons and Johanssons in Church records even if they in practice went by the names Antinpoika and Juhanpoika. Could this have been the case in Swedish ruled Estonia as well? Fixed surnames passing down from generation to generation are a rather recent feature in most cases in this region.

[Simonsson]

I don't really know, but according to the folklore my ancestors came here to fight the Great Northern War, in which Sweden failed, so they only arrived here after the Swedish era.

[Fintorah]

There are only a few Finnish people in the world with my surname, and we're the only ones who live in Washington. So you would know exactly who I am if I gave my surname :P (even though some of you already do)... but it's Finnish. It's often mistaken for Spanish, unfortunately.

[perikolez]

My first surname is castilian/spaniard, and finishes in -ez( castilian version of son of) ,and there are millions that have my surname in Spain , South America, and central America, and even in France, or EEUU.

My second surname is basque and very few people have that surname, and they are concentrated mainly around the village where my mother was born.
My third surname is also basque, and it is also not very common, and limited to my father's village.

[Don]

First: Adjective to native celtiberian/basque in Protocastilian. The meaning is an important trait showed in combat or difficult moments. Very Rare lineage.

Second: Visigothic as usual in many regions of Castilla.

[Bridie]

Mine's Anglo-Norman; so I suppose that makes it a Germanicised Romance name. :confused:

[Don]

It's often mistaken for Spanish, unfortunately.

¿Tu eres gilipollas o simplemente un payaso semiprofesional en prácticas?

[Guapo]

It's often mistaken for Spanish, unfortunately.

Are you sure it's not? Spaniards made it all the way to Washington state :D

[The Ripper]

¿Tu eres gilipollas o simplemente un payaso semiprofesional en prácticas?

Oletko itseääntoistava, jankuttava pösilö luonnostaan vai vaatiiko se harjoittelua?

;)

[Äike]

My current one (Astmäe) is a result of the "Estonianisation" of surnames in the 20s-30s of the previous century, before that the paternal line was named Simonson, I suppose it should be of Swedish origin given that's where my paternal line should come, albeit I'm wondering if it might have gone from Simonsson to Simonson during the time of living in Estland.

My Estonian-Swede ancestors had the last name "Selberg".

[Birka]

Only two Baltic surnames??!! I need to recruit some Balts here, ha ha. Do they have the internetz in the Baltics?

[Guapo]

Only two Baltic surnames??!! I need to recruit some Balts here, ha ha. Do they have the internetz in the Baltics?

Only in Estonia I guess.

[Äike]

Only two Baltic surnames??!! I need to recruit some Balts here, ha ha. Do they have the internetz in the Baltics?

There's internet here(in Estonia), but no Balts. Estonia is the most "wired" country in entire Europe, but I have no idea about Latvia nor Lithuania.

I'd recommend looking towards Latvia and Lithuania if you want more Baltic members, with Baltic surnames. :) As they're the only countries with any Balts living in them.

[Beorn]

Anglo-Saxon surname from my father and my mother's maiden name is Anglo-Saxon too.

Interestingly, a certain site seems to suggest my surname is majority R1b...and variations. I have been accepted into the study, so it will be interesting to see if this 23andme thing correlates.

[Duckelf]

Well, my name "Scott" comes from Old English but it was used to denote the Irish Gaels who came to Scotland, and perhas it would have been used to describe anyone north of the border between Scotland and England. So I am not exactly sure whether my surname would count as Germanic (English) or Celtic (Gael Irish). My mother's maiden name "Tyler" is Anglo-Saxon/French, and is possibly a Norman name.

[Beorn]

Well, my name "Scott" comes from Old English

'To Scot' was an English form of not paying the local church their money. It was an illegal collection of money that usually went on drink.

An interesting avenue for you to go down. Perhaps your ancestor was a known 'scot collector'?

[Duckelf]

'To Scot' was an English form of not paying the local church their money. It was an illegal collection of money that usually went on drink.

An interesting avenue for you to go down. Perhaps your ancestor was a known 'scot collector'?
It could be. But I have never heard of that etymology before. The only one I know of is that my surname comes from the name for the Irish, "Scotti".

[Megrez]

Only two Baltic surnames??!! I need to recruit some Balts here, ha ha. Do they have the internetz in the Baltics?


Only in Estonia I guess.


There's internet here(in Estonia), but no Balts. Estonia is the most "wired" country in entire Europe, but I have no idea about Latvia nor Lithuania.

I'd recommend looking towards Latvia and Lithuania if you want more Baltic members, with Baltic surnames. :) As they're the only countries with any Balts living in them.

If you want Karl to post automatically like a bot explaining how Estonia isn't Baltic, anywhere, just say anything linking Estonia to Baltic people :rotfl:

[Äike]

If you want Karl to post automatically like a bot explaining how Estonia isn't Baltic, anywhere, just say anything linking Estonia to Baltic people :rotfl:

In some sense, you are more related to the Balts, than I am. I'm proud of my Finnic, not Indo-European, heritage and I do not like being lumped together with people who I do not feel related to, just because both of the 3 countries are small with even smaller populations.

[Simonsson]

My Estonian-Swede ancestors had the last name "Selberg".


There's at least one student in my school with that surname if I'm not mistaken. What's your current surname, if I may inquire, by the way?

[Osweo]

¿Tu eres gilipollas o simplemente un payaso semiprofesional en prácticas?
Oletko itseääntoistava, jankuttava pösilö luonnostaan vai vaatiiko se harjoittelua?
;)
Да ты что, товарищ? это талант очень распространный... Гмм, между прочим, я все понял там, кроме слов 'янкуттава посило'... Как пропытка уяснить значения, я сделал пробел в среду каждого, и получил слова со смыслом 'стимулировая чего-то ради удоволствия'! :eek::D

In some sense, you are more related to the Balts, than I am. I'm proud of my Finnic, not Indo-European, heritage and I do not like being lumped together with people who I do not feel related to, just because both of the 3 countries are small with even smaller populations.
Deary me, you Slavs... When will you learn to just live along peacefully? ;)

[Murphy]

Osweo what is the origin of my surname? I no nothing more than it's Gaelic and I bow to your knowledge on these matters.

[Stygian Cellarius]

This is the distribution of the surname associated with my paternal haplogroup (R1a1a). Although, it is not my surname. A few generations back, a bad daddy refused to acknowledge his children as his own so the lineage took the mothers surname (Which is German).


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/Casen/BthUKDistro1881-Copy.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/Casen/BthUKDistro1998-Copy.jpg
Left: UK distribution 1881, Right: UK distribution 1998

A somewhat infamous surname. The lineage that gave rise to the assassin who killed an "honest", but foolish American president ;)

[Osweo]

Osweo what is the origin of my surname? I no nothing more than it's Gaelic and I bow to your knowledge on these matters.
I think it's a two element thing.
The first is 'sea'.
The second is 'battle', and very common in Celtic given names. See Cadfan < Catumanos, Cadwallawn < Catuvellaunos...
Ah! Succat too!

This is the distribution of the surname associated with my paternal haplogroup (R1a1a). Although, it is not my surname. A few generations back, a bad daddy refused to acknowledge his children as his own so the lineage took the mothers surname (Which is German).


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/Casen/BthUKDistro1881-Copy.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/Casen/BthUKDistro1998-Copy.jpg
Left: UK distribution 1881, Right: UK distribution 1998

A somewhat infamous surname. The lineage that gave rise to the assassin who killed an "honest", but foolish American president ;)

Heh, an old landowner where I'm from had the name, and I once lived on a street named from them. :p If you look at both maps, there's a lull between two spots of most intensely shaded land. That's me.

Apparently, some poor bugger had to sit in a hut all night, looking after livestock to earn that name, but it seems some didn't let it hold them back! :D

[Peasant]

Not my surname but..

Murphy = Sea Warrior/Strong
Larkin = Fierce

?

[Osweo]

Larkin = Fierce

?

How so? If Jenkin is a petname for John, and Simkin for Simon, this'll be for Laurence.

(Gaelic Lorcan is a coincidence and probably has zero connection with most Larkins. It is JUST possible that some Irish family adopted the English form as a 'close match' but I'm highly skeptical)

[Peasant]

It was just the meaning of the name I got from the internet. So the Larkin surname will have got to Ireland through the English?

Oh and I just found this:

In the Middle Ages this name was common in England, partly because of a second saint by this name, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury. Likewise it has been common in Ireland due to the 12th-century Saint Laurence O'Toole (whose real name was Lorcán). Since the 19th century the spelling Lawrence has been more common, especially in America.
http://www.behindthename.com/name/laurence-1

Are there any books about surname origins that are actually any good? I could do with buying one.

[Osweo]

Are there any books about surname origins that are actually any good? I could do with buying one.

The Oxford Dictionary of English Surnames. :)

[Pallantides]

Paternal surname:
http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/8687/surname1.png

Maternal surname:
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/9137/surname2.png

[Pallantides]

Everyone who have my mothers surname can trace some of their ancestry to Sogn og Fjordane, the name is also historically protected so only those who have ancestral ties are allowed to take the surname.
My paternal surname is fairly generic and common everywhere.

[Graham]

and perhas it would have been used to describe anyone north of the border between Scotland and England.

aye, that's what I think it was.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gallgaedhil/Border_Reiver_Names.jpg

[Arne]

My Name fits in South Germany including Bavaria,Badenwürtemberg, Austria and Swiss.
It isn´t a quite big Suprise.

[Äike]

There's at least one student in my school with that surname if I'm not mistaken. What's your current surname, if I may inquire, by the way?

It's derived from the name of a christian saint, I'm not going to say more.


Deary me, you Slavs... When will you learn to just live along peacefully? ;)

Hahaha :thumb001:

[Bloodeagle]

My paternal surname is of Anglo Saxon origin as I have already posted (http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showpost.php?p=239618&postcount=150) which like Stygian Cellarius, is also of R1a1 inheritance.
My mothers maiden name is also English but I am not sure if it is not of Norman origin.
Below are maps of their distribution in the year of 1891.

[Pallantides]

Paternal surname:

Top Countries FPM

NORWAY 3305.79
NETHERLANDS 279.2
AUSTRIA 212.5
GERMANY 201.81
SWITZERLAND 189.12

Top Regions FPM

OPPLAND , NORWAY 8041.27
HEDMARK , NORWAY 7591.79
BUSKERUD , NORWAY 5307.33
AKERSHUS , NORWAY 4392.78
TELEMARK , NORWAY 4173.09

Maternal Surname:

Top Countries FPM

Country FPM
NORWAY 34.78
SWEDEN 3.79
DENMARK 1.3

Top Countries FPM

SOGN OG FJORDANE , NORWAY 358.33
TELEMARK , NORWAY 127.14
OPPLAND , NORWAY 107.49
KRISTIANSTADT LÄN , SWEDEN 75.01
HORDALAND , NORWAY 54.35

[Radola]

By paternal surnames do you mean something like LarsSON, SvensSON etc.?

[Pallantides]

By paternal surnames do you mean something like LarsSON, SvensSON etc.?

No, it's my surname, while the 'maternal surname' is my mother's father surname.

[Radola]

No, it's my surname, while the 'maternal surname' is my mother's father surname.

Ok, thanx I was a bit confused:D

[Norbert]

Slavic, derived from the name of a Slavic ethnic group of north-western Poland.

[Oreka Bailoak]

My last name was created after the Norman conquest of England in the Anglo-Norman language (a Romance language). It means red hair.

[Jude]

My last name is English, regarding the fact the Anglo Saxons were responsible for the creation of the English name I would call it Germanic.

[Jude]

haha I meant "Nation" not my name.

[SaxonCeorl]

My surname comes from one of the old Hundreds in Wiltshire.

[aherne]

This is the distribution of the surname associated with my paternal haplogroup (R1a1a). Although, it is not my surname. A few generations back, a bad daddy refused to acknowledge his children as his own so the lineage took the mothers surname (Which is German).


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/Casen/BthUKDistro1881-Copy.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v633/Casen/BthUKDistro1998-Copy.jpg
Left: UK distribution 1881, Right: UK distribution 1998

A somewhat infamous surname. The lineage that gave rise to the assassin who killed an "honest", but foolish American president ;)

Actually Osswald is a very old Anglo-Saxon name meaning "god power":
http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Oswald

By the way, where have you taken these graphs from?

[Foxy]

If you are Italian GeneaNet is very good to make researches about genealogic trees. You can put online your family tree and consult the trees of the other users. There are also other useful sites. For the moment I've rebuilt my trees until 1850 :D

[Raikaswinþs]

Spanish surname system: Middle names are not really common. Composed names are more frequent. People bear two surnames , paternal first, maternal second.


my paternal surname has two possible origins. The most likely is Castilian From Avila. From there it extended to Sicilia, Cerdeña and America.

The other possibility is that it is connected somehow with the French Royalty, it extended to England and Castile, in the later it is more widespread and that is why it has traditionally been associated with Spain.


My first maternal surname (Aguirre) is the Basque equivalent of "Smith" or "Lopez". Probably the most common BAsque surname (Although Garcia is Basque too in origin). In my case, it roots in the town of Oñate (province of Guipuzcoa, BAaque Cuntry) and it is ancestrally related to the family of Lope de Aguirre, an infamous Spanish explorer.


Hence Romance (Father) Iberid-Basque (Mother)

[Pallantides]

My Surname:
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/7749/surnamenorway.jpg

Mother's maiden name:
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/1756/mothermaidennamenorway.jpg

[Lábaru]

Castillian surname.

Alonso's surname means "son or descendant of Alfonso", since it is a patronymic from the name Alfonso, which some etymologists derives of the goth "Altfuns" , compound for "alt ", noble, and funs, belligerent warrior.



http://www.pergaminovirtual.com.ar/apellidos/alonso.html

http://www.misapellidos.com/ver_datos.phtml?cod=613

[Jnovais]

My surname is a romance surname and originated in Galicia although now it`s used in Portugal

[Arne]

MY name is common in Southgermany,Austria and Switzerland.
but it´s rarely to see here.

[shortskirtlongjacket]

My family name (maiden name) is a typically Scandinavian patronymic.

[Efim45]

My surname is Slavic, it ends with an -ov. My grandmother's mother's surname is Karlov. Grandma and my great-uncle said that their grandparents stated they were German-descended. Is Karlov an uncommon name in Russia?

[W. R.]

My surname is Slavic, it ends with an -ov. My grandmother's mother's surname is Karlov. Grandma and my great-uncle said that their grandparents stated they were German-descended. Is Karlov an uncommon name in Russia?Yes, uncommon. Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov are common, because they originate from common names Ivan, Petr, Sidor. Name "Karl" doesn't sound too native for Russia.

[gold_fenix]

Castilian my first name is from the mountains of Burgos, perhaps related to military orders my second surname is from Cantabria but widespread on the south of Spain, its origin, is controversial in the village of my mother a lot of surnames a strong source of northern Spain and France

much of Spaniards surnames have a origin from North of Spain because of "La Reconquista"

[Winterwolf]

My family name is the one of a German city. I won't tell which one, though.
My ancestors had to flee southwards in order to escape the Protestants and to remain catholic in the ravaging 30 Years War. My family tree doesn't date further back than to the 30 years war (1618-48), where all previous records were lost.
This event was so disastrous for Germany (1/4 th of the population died), that most family trees in Germany can't be dated back any further than 1618.

Anyway I know an anecdote from the 19th century about my family: one of my ancestors was paymaster and stole the war chest of his regiment and wanted to escape to France in order to live a good life there.
Maybe not really honourable, but I guess he had his reasons. Anyway he was captured and thrown into prison for a couple of years. Nevertheless his wife immigrated to France with the children, so there is a French branch of my family, which still exists and carries the same family name as myself.
After he was released he took a new wife, started from anew and decided to stay in Germany.
I also know of some ancestors who immigrated to Florida in the 18th century, but we've got no contact with this family branch and they also don't carry the same family name any more afaik.

[Kosovo je Sjrbia]

Mine is Serbian

[Guapo]

Mine is Serbian

:rolleyes:

[Lábaru]

Mine is Serbian

http://imagenesfotos.com/wp-content/2009/08/pinocho-8.jpg

:) only the niggers hide their origin in this forum.

[Kosovo je Sjrbia]

:) only the niggers hide their origin in this forum.

I' m not a Spaniard. Do you think I' m a Spaniard porque hablo tu idioma asì bien?

[d3cimat3d]

Ossetian

[Sikeliot]

Romance, although it might have a Germanic root like many Iberian names ending in -es/-ez do.

[Peyrol]

Romance

This map shows the diffusion of my surname in Italy and in USA