Last names linked to ABOUT

Origin

Aase : Norwegian (also Åse) and Swedish (mainly Åse): topographic name from an inflected form of ås ‘ridge’. This is also a common habitational name in Norway from any of about 30 places called with this word.

Abdy : from Middle English abbodie ‘an estate belonging to an abbey’ (Anglo-Norman French abbedi ‘abbacy property or jurisdiction of an abbot’ Latin abbatia compare Abbey). The Yorks surname derives from Abdy in Brampton Bierlow (WR Yorks) which is recorded as Abbedi in about 1260 Abdye in 1345. The 13th-century charter states that the land in Abbedi was held of the monks of Monk Bretton Priory.

Adwick : from Adwick le Street or Adwick upon Dearne (both WR Yorks about five miles apart) each of which is recorded as Adeuuic in 1086 Addewyk Adewyk and Athewyk in the 13th century. The place-names probably both mean ‘Adda's specialized farm’ from the Old English personal name Adda + wīc ‘specialized or outlying farm dairy farm’.

Ahmad : Muslim: from the Arabic personal name Aḥmad ‘the most praised’ elative adjective from ḥamid (see Hamid). This is an epithet of the prophet Muhammad. In the Koran (6:16) Jesus foretells the arrival of Aḥmad (the prophet Muhammad) in the words: ‘I have brought good news about a messenger who will come after me whose name will be Aḥmad’. Compare Ahmed.

Akker : see Acker. This name is found from about 1800 exclusively in Radwinter (Essex). It appears to be the Dutch cognate of the name forming the base of Acker.

Aldington : from Aldington (Worcs) which is recorded as Aldintona in 1086 and Aldington in 1227 and perhaps also from Aldington (Kent) which is recorded as Ealdintune in about 1090 and Aldyngtone in 1253–4. The place-names probably both mean ‘farmstead associated with a man called Ealda’ from the Old English personal name Ealda + the connective particle -ing- + tūn ‘farmstead estate’.

Altham : from Altham (Lancs) recorded as Elvetham in about 1150 Aluetham in 1308. The place-name is from Old English elfitu ‘swan’ + hamm ‘river-bend river-meadow; enclosure’.

Alveston : 1: from Alveston (Warwicks) which is recorded as Eanulfestun in 966 Alvestone in 1086 Eluestone in 1221 and Auston alias Alveston in 1615. The place-name means ‘Ēanwulf's farmstead’ from the Old English personal name Ēanwulf (genitive Ēanwulfes) + tūn ‘farmstead estate’. 2: from Alvaston (Cheshire) which is recorded as Alfualdst' Alwaldiston Alvaldiston in the 13th century and Alvaston in 1380 or from Alvaston (Derbys) which is recorded as Alewaldestune in about 1002 Alewoldestune in 1086 and Alewaston in the 13th century. The Cheshire place-name means ‘Ælfwald's farmstead’ from the Old English personal name Ælfwald (genitive Ælfwaldes) + tūn ‘farmstead estate’. The Derbys place-name may have the same etymology or its first element may be the Old English personal name Æðelwald (genitive Æðelwaldes). 3: possibly also from Alveston (Gloucs) which is recorded as Alwestan in 1086 Alueston' in 1248 and Alveston in 1322. The place-name means ‘Ælfwīg's stone’ from the Old English personal name Ælfwīg (genitive Ælfwīges) + stān ‘stone’. However no relevant surname evidence has yet come to light in Gloucs.

Ancona : Italian and Jewish (from Italy): habitational name from the Adriatic port of Ancona which was founded by Greek refugees from Syracuse in about 390 BC. Its name is derived from Greek ankōn ‘elbow’ with reference to the shape of the cape on which it is situated.

Annandale : from the district of Annandale (Dumfriess) which is recorded as Annandesdale in 1179 and Anandresdale in about 1295. The place-name means ‘valley of the Annan’ from the Celtic river-name Annan (which means ‘water’) + Middle English Early Scots dale ‘dale valley’. Compare Annan.

Ansdell : from Ainsdale in Formby (Lancs) which is recorded as Einulvesdel in 1086 Ainuluesdale in about 1190 and Aynolsdale in 1451. The place-name derives from an Old Scandinavian personal name *Einulfr + dalr ‘dale valley’.

Anthony : 1: English and West Indian (mainly Antigua and Barbuda Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago also Dutch Caribbean): from the personal name Anthony Latin Antonius which with its variants and cognates is one of the commonest personal names in Europe. Spellings with -h- which first appear in English in the 16th century and in French (as Anthoine) at about the same time are due to the erroneous belief that the name derives from Greek anthos ‘flower’. The popularity of the personal name in Christendom is largely due to the cult of the Egyptian hermit Saint Anthony (AD 251–356) who in his old age gathered a community of hermits around him and for that reason is regarded by some as the founder of monasticism. It was further increased by the fame of Saint Anthony of Padua (1195–1231) who long enjoyed a great popular cult and who is believed to help people find lost things. In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates and derivatives (patronymics) from other languages for example Greek patronymic Antoniades Italian Antoni Polish Antoniewicz Croatian and Serbian Antonović (see Antonovich) and Antunović; see also below. The name Anthony is also found among Christians in southern India but since South Indians traditionally do not have hereditary surnames the southern Indian name was in most cases registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. Compare Antony.2: German Flemish and French (mainly Alsace): Latinized (humanistic) patronymic from local equivalents of the Latin personal name Antonius from its genitive form Antoni(i). In North America this surname is also an altered form of the German Dutch French and Slovak cognates Antoni 1 and Antony 2.

Apedaile : 1: from Apedale in Redmire (NR Yorks) which is recorded as Apedale in about 1175. The place-name derives from the Old Scandinavian personal name Api + dalr ‘valley’. 2: perhaps occasionally from a lost or unidentified place in SE England.

Apolinar : Spanish and Portuguese: from a variant of the medieval personal name Apolinario via Latin from Greek Apollinaris which means ‘belonging to the god Apollo’. It was borne by various early Christian saints including the first bishop of Ravenna who was martyred in about 260.

Aram : 1: from Averham (Notts) which is recorded as Aigrun in 1086 Ægrum in about 1180 Earom in 1276 Agheram in 1277 Aram in 1280 and Averam in 1316. The etymology of the place-name is uncertain. It may derive from Latin augurium Medieval Latin *agurium ‘omen’ with reference to the well-known phenomenon called the eagre a tidal bore on the river Trent. 2: from one or more of the places in Yorks with names derived from Old Scandinavian *ǽrgum ‘at the shielings’ (dative plural of *ǽrgi ‘shieling pasture’) such as Arram in Atwick Argam in Hunmanby and Arram in Leconfield (all ER Yorks) Airyholme in Hovingham Airy Hill in Whitby Airy Holme in Great Ayton and Eryholme (all NR Yorks) which are recorded as Erghum Ergom and similar in medieval documents.

Ascott : 1: variant of Arscott a Devon name pronounced /ˈɑ:skɔt/. 2: from any of several places so called such as Ascott under Wychwood (Oxon) which is recorded as Estcote in 1086 and Astcote in 1258 Ascott in Stadhampton (also Oxon) recorded as Estcote in about 1190 and Astecote in 1285 Ascot in Sunninghill (Berks) recorded as Ascote in 1269 and Astcote in 1348 and Ascott in Wing (Bucks) recorded as Estcota Ascote in the 13th century. The place-names all derive from Old English ēast ‘east’ + cot ‘cottage’.

Ashbury : 1: see Astbury. 2: from Ashborough in Bromsgrove (Worcs) which is recorded as Asseberga in 1086 Esberuwe in about 1200 and Assebarewe in 1262. The place-name derives from Old English æsc ‘ash-tree’ + beorg ‘hill’. 3: from Ashbury (Devon) which is recorded as Esseberie in 1086 Assebure in 1238 Aysshebyry in 1276 and Ashbiry in 1291. The place-name means ‘fort by the ash-tree(s)’ deriving from Old English æsc ‘ash-tree’ + burg ‘fortified place’ (dative byrig). 4: possibly from Ashbury (Berks) which is recorded as Eissesberie in 1086 Æsseberia in 1187 Essebury Assebiri in the 13th century and Asschebury in 1309. The place-name probably means ‘fort by the ash-tree(s)’ deriving from Old English æsc ‘ash-tree’ + burg ‘fortified place’ (dative byrig). Evidence for the surname in and around Berks is extremely thin however and post-medieval examples may well belong to (1) -2 or (3).

Ashenden : 1: from Ashenden in Tenterden (Kent) which is recorded as Esserinden’ in 1278 and Heshryndenn' Esryndenn' in 1292. The place-name perhaps means ‘woodland pasture associated with a man called Æschere’ from the Old English personal name Æschere + the connective particle -ing- + denn ‘woodland pasture’ but the first element is far from certain. 2: possibly also from Ashendon (Bucks) which is recorded as Assedune in 1086 Essendon in about 1218 Ayssendone in 1255 and Esshendone in 1316. The place-names means ‘hill overgrown with ash-trees’ deriving from Old English æscen ‘ashen’ + dūn ‘hill’. Compare Ashdown (1).

Atterby : from Atterby in Bishop Norton (Lincs) which is recorded as Adrathebi in 1204 Athereby in about 1225 Aderby in 1300 and Adthreby from 1300–1320. The place-name derives from the Old English personal name Ēadrēd + Old Scandinavian bȳ ‘village settlement’.

Audrey : English:: 1: (of Norman origin): habitational name from Audrieu in Calvados France recorded as Aldreium in 1108.2: from the Middle English female personal name Aldrith which sometimes became Audrey by a 15th-century pronunciation change of /ald/ to /aud/. It derives from one of three Old English female personal names Æthelthrȳth ‘noble strength’ Ælfthrȳth ‘elf strength’ and Ealhthrȳth ‘temple strength’. The most popular was Æthelthrȳth commonly Latinized as Etheldreda and appearing in various Middle English forms such as Atheldrith(e) Aildrith Aldreth Etheldred and Eldrid(e). It was borne by a Christian saint Saint Etheldred (later known also as Saint Audrey) Queen of Northumbria daughter of Anna king of East Anglia. She was the founder and first abbess of the monastery at Ely in about 672 and her continuing cult after the Norman Conquest was probably responsible for the survival of the personal name well into the 14th century.

Awdry : 1: from Audrieu (Calvados) which is recorded as Aldreium in 1108. The first known bearer of this name in England William de Aldrie was executed for treason in 1095 and there appears to be no other medieval evidence for the surname in Wilts where William's lands were. Nevertheless the post-medieval evidence for Awdry in Wilts and for Audrey in adjacent counties has been tentatively assigned to this etymology partly because the same surname (and perhaps the same family as William) occurs continuously elsewhere (in Durham from the 12th to the 14th centuries) and partly because a Robert Audrey is recorded in Oxon in 1279. Alternatively the Wilts Berks Oxon and Gloucs surnames derive from the relationship name identified in (2). Odry is an occasional post-medieval variant which as Odery survived sporadically in England until the 1881 census but has now become extinct. 2: from the Middle English female personal name Aldrith which sometimes became Audrey by a 15th-century pronunciation change of /ald/ to /aud/. It derives from one of three Old English female personal names Æðelþrȳð Ælfþrȳð and Ealhþrȳð. The first element in these is æðel ‘noble’ ælf ‘elf sprite’ or ealh ‘shrine temple’ and the second element is þrȳð ‘strength force’. The most popular was Æðelþrȳð commonly latinized as Etheldreda and appearing in various Middle English forms such as Atheldrith(e) Aildrith Aldreth Etheldred and Eldrid(e). It was borne by Saint Etheldred (later known also as Saint Audrey) Queen of Northumbria daughter of Anna king of East Anglia. She was the founder and first abbess of the monastery at Ely in about 672 and her continuing cult after the Norman Conquest was probably responsible for the survival of the personal name well into the 14th century especially in E Anglia. Common Middle English forms like Aldreth and Eldrid probably contributed to Aldred whose main location is E Anglia Eldred which is common in E England and possibly Eldrett. It may be the source of Audrey and Awdry in SW England see (1). 3: from French Auduroy ‘(son) of (someone surnamed) Duroy or Durey’ which itself signified ‘(son) of (someone nicknamed) the king’ (Old French le roi or le rei). Auduroy perhaps through its variant Audurey may have become shortened to Audry and confused with a different surname French Audri from the Old French male personal name Audri Continental Germanic Aldric.

Ayr : 1: from the royal burgh of Ayr (Ayrs) which is recorded as Ar in 1177 Are in 1197 and Air in about 1230. The place-name derives from the pre-Celtic river-name Ayr which means ‘river’. Bearers of the name in NW England may alternatively belong at (2). 2: variant of Ayre.

Babel : 1: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German or Polish Babel ‘Babylon’ (which was named with the Assyrian elements bāb ‘gate’ + ilu ‘god’). The Jewish people were held in captivity in Babylon from 597 to about 538 BC and the name was sometimes adopted with reference to being an oppressed minority in a foreign culture.2: German: from a variant of the personal name Babo a name developed from baby talk also a pet form of Paul.3: French: from a pet form of the female personal name Isabel.4: French: from Babel a medieval personal name bestowed in honor of St. Babylas a 3rd-century Christian patriarch of Antioch whose name is of uncertain origin.

Balchin : perhaps an altered form of Bolsham from Bilsham in Yapton (Sussex) recorded as Bul(e)sham from the 12th century whose name is from an Old English given name or nickname Bȳli (bȳl(e) ‘a boil’) in the genitive case with -es + hamm ‘watermeadow; enclosed place’ or hām ‘large estate farm’. Woolbeding where the earliest example of Balchin occurs is next to Midhurst (Sussex) where James Bolsham is recorded in 1606. The will of a Peter Bolsham of Kirdford (Sussex) was proved in 1614 and a Walter Bulshyne (a scribal mangling of Bulsham?) is recorded in that neighbourhood in 1307. This might explain the naming of Bulchin's Farm in Kirdford as suggested in Place-Names of Sussex. The family name Bulchin in Guildford Surrey and in Kirdford Sussex seems to be an alternative 18th- and 19th-century pronunciation of Balchin. However the Guildford connection also suits the alternative explanation for Balchin given in (ii).perhaps an altered form of Balchild a name that is first recorded in East Worldham (Hants) in 1327 about 16 miles from Guildford (Surrey) where it appears from the 1380s onwards. It is in Guildford and nearby villages where both Balchin and Balchild are found from the late 17th century onwards an overlap which is much better evidenced than Balchin with Bolsham which only occurs in Kirdford. The origin of Balchild is uncertain. It appears to be either a nickname containing Middle English child (Old English cild) ‘child young man knight attendant apprentice’ (see Child) or perhaps a topographical name containing Middle English childe (Old English *cielde) spring but the identity of Bal- is difficult to determine. In relation to the nickname Middle English balgh ‘tubby round-bellied’ is a possibility; compare Fairchild Goodchild and Littlechild.

Barefoot : 1: English: from Middle English bare-fot ‘with bare feet barefooted’ (Old English bær ‘bare naked’ + fōt) a nickname for someone who was in the habit of going about his business unshod or used to signify friars pilgrims and those doing penance.2: In some instances possibly also an Americanized form (translation into English) of German Barfuss the very rare North German variant Barfoth the Danish cognates Barfod and Barfoed or Dutch Berrevoets and Bervoets.

Barnsdale : from either of two places named Barnsdale in Rutland recorded as Bernardeshull(e) in 1202 or WR Yorks recorded as Barnysdale in about 1420. The former pair are transparently ‘Bernard's hill’ (Middle English hil hille) and the latter is ‘Beorn's valley’ (Middle English dale).

Barrasford : from Barrasford in Chollerton (Northumb) which is recorded as Barwisford in about 1250 Barewesford in 1255 and Barowesford in 1324. The first element of this name is uncertain but compare Barwise. There may have been some confusion with Beresford.

Bauckham : variant of Balcombe a Sussex and Kent surname. The Lincs Bauckhams appear to be descended from Robert Bauckham of Lincs shipwright born in Gravesend (Kent) about 1833 (Census 1881).

Beechener : from a lost place called Birchenhoe in Syresham (Northants) which is recorded as Bycchenho in about 1220 Bichenho in 1287 Bychenhoow in 1571 (Leics Record Office) and Birchenhoe in 1781. The place-name is probably from an uncertain Old English given name with the genitive case suffix -an + hōh ‘hill-spur’.

Beharry : Indian: from an Anglicized form of Hindi bihārī a common final element in Indian personal names an alternate form of Sanskrit vihārī meaning ‘one who roams about for pleasure’ or ‘beautiful’. This surname is found mainly in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana; it is not used in India.

Benjamin : Jewish (Sephardic and Ashkenazic) English French West Indian (mainly Haiti) and African (mainly Nigeria and Tanzania); Hungarian (Benjámin): from the Hebrew male personal name Binyāmīn ‘Son of the South’. In the Book of Genesis it is treated as meaning ‘Son of the Right Hand’. The two senses are connected since in Hebrew the south is thought of as the right-hand side of a person who is facing east. Benjamin was the youngest and favorite son of Jacob and supposed progenitor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 35:16-18; 42:4). The personal name was not common among Gentiles in the Middle Ages but its use was sanctioned by virtue of having been borne by a Christian saint martyred in Persia in about AD 424. In some cases in medieval Europe it was also applied as a byname or nickname to the youngest (and beloved) son of a large family; this is the sense of modern French benjamin. In North America this surname has absorbed cognates from other languages e.g. Assyrian/Chaldean Benyamin and Italian Beniamino.

Bescoby : from Bescaby (Leics) recorded as Berscaldeby in about 1150. The place-name is from Old Scandinavian nickname Berg-Skald ‘hill + poet’ perhaps used as a given name + bȳ ‘farm village’.

Biddington : 1: see Beddington. 2: possibly also from Biddenden (Kent) which is recorded as Bidingden Bydyngdene in the late 10th century and Bidindaenne in about 1090. The place-name means ‘pasture associated with a man called Bida’ from an Old English personal name *Bida + Old English connective -ing- + denn ‘woodland pasture’. There is however no compelling evidence that a surname deriving from Biddenden survived beyond the 13th century. The post-medieval bearers cited here may belong to (1).

Biffen : perhaps a variant of Bevin which has sometimes been confused with Welsh Bevan. The devoicing of /v/ to /f/ between vowels is unexpected however especially in SW England where intervocalic /v/ was normal dialectal usage. Bevin is well attested in Somerset from medieval times.possibly for someone who lived by a fen (Middle English bi + fen) but the earliest forms are too late to be confident about this explanation. See Fenn.

Bihari : denoting someone from the state of Bihar in north-eastern India.from Hindi bihārī a common final element in Hindu personal names in India from Sanskrit vihārī ‘one who roams about for pleasure’ or ‘beautiful’.

Bleaken : from Blacon in Blacon cum Crabwall (Cheshire) which is recorded as Blachenol in 1093 Blachenot in 1096–1101 Blakene in about 1200 and Blacon alas Blakeney alias Blaconhall in 1580. The place-name derives from Old English blæc ‘black’ (oblique form blacan) + cnoll ‘hill summit’ alternating with cnotta ‘knot hillock’.

Blodwell : from Llanyblodwel (Shrops) which is recorded as Blodwelle in about 1200 Blodewell' in 1272 and Llanblodwell in 1535. The place-name probably derives from Old English blōd ‘blood’ + wella ‘spring stream’. The later affix is Welsh llan ‘church’.

Boby : 1: variant of Boothby with loss of medial -th-. Some of the bearers listed below may alternatively belong at (2). 2: of uncertain origin. If not the name in (1) by migration perhaps a nickname from an unrecorded Middle English *bobi ‘a childish foolish inept or blundering person’ first attested in about 1600 (OED at booby).

Bonthrone : from a lost or unidentified place. Black (p. 88 at Bontavern) draws comparison with a place called Holyn de P[ro]ntau[e]rin about 1210 in Kelso Register where the text of the deed locates it near the meeting point of the rivers Nethan and Clyde i.e. at Crossford (Lanarks). However the surname clearly belongs to Fife.

Bourgoin : French:: 1: variant of Bourgouin (and in North America an altered form of this) a habitational name for someone from Burgundy (Old French Bourgogne) a region of eastern France having Dijon as its center. The area was invaded by the Burgundii an ancient Germanic tribe from whom it takes its name in about AD 480. The duchy of Burgundy created in 877 by Charles II King of the Western Franks was extremely powerful in the later Middle Ages especially under Philip the Bold (1342–1404; duke from 1363). Compare Bourgoyne and Bourguignon.2: variant of Bourguin from the ancient Germanic personal name Burgwin composed of the elements burg ‘protection’ and win ‘friend’.

Brache : 1: South German: topographic name from the three-field system when one third of land (Brache) was left unplanted or used as grazing land i.e. not for grain planting; or habitational name from a place called Braach near Rotenberg Hesse.2: German: habitational name from a place called Braach near Rotenberg (Hesse).3: Channel Islands (Guernsey): from the Channel Islands French brache ‘fathom’ presumably a nickname for someone about six feet tall.4: Hispanic (mainly Dominican Republic): unexplained.

Brassfield : English: habitational name perhaps from Braishfield All Saints (Hampshire) but the surname has had a substantial history in Macclesfield (Cheshire) since at least the 1640s so it may be an altered form of Brushfield a habitational name from Brushfield (Derbyshire) about 15 miles east of Macclesfield.

Bread : 1: see Brade. 2: from Brede (Sussex) recorded as Brada in 1166 and Brede in about 1220 and probably derived from Old English brǣdu ‘breadth’ referring to the broad valley called Brede Level. 3: for someone who lived by a wooden bridge from Middle English bred (Old English bred) ‘board plank’.

Bromyard : from Bromyard (Herefs) which is recorded as Bromgeard in about 840 Bromgerde in 1086 and Bromiarde in 1160–70. The place-name derives from Old English brōm ‘broom’ + geard ‘enclosure yard’.

Buckney : 1: from Buckney (Wood) in Thundridge (formerly a chapelry of Ware Herts) which is recorded as Bokeney in about 1430. The place-name derives from Old English *bōcen ‘beechen growing with beech trees’ + (ge)hæg ‘enclosure’.post-medieval examples of this name may alternatively be variants of Bucknall. 2: perhaps the English name in (1) by migration.alternatively from a lost or unidentified place in Scotland so named. There is a stream called Buckney Burn near Dunkeld (Perths).

Budsworth : probably a variant of Budworth. The place-name Budworth (Cheshire) is recorded as Budeswurda in about 1155 but the -s- in the surname is more likely intrusive and relatively modern.

Burbury : from Birdingbury (Warwicks) recorded as Burdebery in 1373 and Byrburye in 1524 and locally pronounced like the surname. The place-name is of uncertain meaning but contains Old English burg ‘earthwork fortress’ in the dative case form byrig preceded by something like Byrdinga ‘of the people associated with a man named (something like) Byrd’ (recorded as Burthingberi in about 1195).

Burgoyne : English (of Norman origin): habitational name for someone from Burgundy (Middle English Burgoin Old French Bourgogne Latin Burgundia) a region of eastern France having Dijon as its center. The area was invaded by the Burgundii an ancient Germanic tribe from whom it takes its name in about AD 480. The duchy of Burgundy created in 877 by Charles II King of the West Franks was extremely powerful in the later Middle Ages especially under Philip the Bold (1342–1404 duke from 1363).

Burscough : from Burscough (Lancs) which is recorded as burgechou and Burscogh in about 1190. The place-name derives from Old English burh 'fortified place' + Old Scandinavian skógr 'wood'. See also Biscoe.

Buston : from High Buston in Warkworth (Northumb) or from some other place with a similar name for example Buston in Hunton (Kent) or Buston in Kings Sutton (Northants) though there are uncertainties about the age of the Northants place-name. The Northumb name may be from an Old English male given name *Buttel in the genitive case with -es + dūn ‘hill’ but this is not certain. The first element may instead be bōtl ‘substantial building’.

Calveley : from Calveley (Cheshire). The place-name recorded about 1235 as Calueleg is a compound of Old English calf ‘calf’ + lēah ‘clearing glade woodland pasture’. In modern times the surname may also have been spelled Calverley.

Cammish : 1: from Cambois (Northumb) recorded as Cambus about 1150 Kamhus Camhous 1236 Cammus 1335 Cambois 1363 Cammosse 1551 in Place-Names of Northumb and Durham. 2: see Camis.

Cap : 1: Polish Slovak Rusyn (from Slovakia and Poland) and Jewish (from Ukraine); Hungarian (Cáp): from Polish and Slovak cap Rusyn and Ukrainian tsap ‘he-goat’ and so probably a nickname for someone thought to resemble the animal in some way or perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a goatherd. Compare Czap.2: Czech (Čáp): nickname for a tall or long-legged man from čáp ‘stork’. Compare Chap and Czap.3: Americanized form of Ukrainian and Rusyn Tsap a cognate of 1 above.4: Breton (also Le Cap) and French: from Breton kab and Occitan cap (from Latin caput) ‘head’ or in the metaphorical sense ‘chief’ also ‘promontory’. This may have been a topographic name for someone living on a promontory or headland or a nickname for a stubborn person or for a person with something distinctive about his head or perhaps a status name for a village elder. This surname is found mainly in Finistère in Brittany. Compare Capp.5: English (North Yorkshire): variant of Capp.6: Americanized form of Dutch or German Kap a cognate/variant of German Kapp.

Capo : 1: Catalan (Capó): from capó ‘capon’ a nickname for an ineffectual man or a metonymic occupational name for a dealer in capons.2: Italian: from capo ‘head’ or ‘chief’ applied either as a nickname for someone with something distinctive about his head (in a literal or abstract sense) or as a status name for a boss or overseer.3: Slovak (Čapo Čapó): nickname derived from Hungarian csap ‘whip flick or feeler’.

Cater : 1: English and Scottish: occupational name for the buyer of provisions for a large household from Middle English catour katour kater forms of acatour acater ‘buyer’ (Anglo-Norman French acatour early Old French acateor central Old French achatour Late Latin acceptator an agent derivative of acceptare ‘to accept’). Modern English caterer results from the addition of a second agent suffix to the word. Compare Chater 1.2: English: habitational name from Cator in Widdecombe in the Moor (Devon).3: Americanized form of Dutch or German Kater.4: Slovenian (Čater): status name for a person who read out the Slovenian ceremonial text at the installation of the Carantanian rulers and later Carinthian dukes derived from dialect čatiti ‘to read’. Carantania was the early medieval Slovenian state centered on the territory of present-day Carinthia (see Korosec). The people's installation of the Carantanian rulers and Carinthian dukes was an exceptional example of democratic elections in medieval Europe. Thomas Jefferson knew about it and was influenced by it in his thinking about American Independence. Compare Chater 2.

Cawse : 1: from the Pays de Caux (Normandy). Some of the bearers below may belong under (2) or (3). The name is synonymous with Cawsey (1) and the two names were interchangeable even in the early modern period. 2: possibly from Cause (Shrops) which is recorded as Caus in 1134 Cawes in 1255 and Caurse about 1540 and may take its name from the surname in (1). However it is possible that this place did not give rise to a surname and that the early bearer example belongs under (1). 3: perhaps from Old French cauce a Norman and Picard variant of Old French chaucee ‘stocking’ used to denote someone whose hosiery was particularly noteworthy for some reason or perhaps for a maker or seller of such items. Compare Causer.

Chalder : apparently an alternative pronunciation of Calder; compare Agnes Calder 1665 James Chalder 1752 in IGI (Haddington E Lothian); John Calder 1727 John Chalder 1767 in IGI (Tingwall Shetland). Calder in Cumb is recorded as Chaldra about 1180.

Chavda : Indian (Gujarat): Kshatriya name possibly from Chavad region now known as Amreli district. This was the name of a dynasty that ruled northern Gujarat from about 690 AD to 942.

Childerstone : from a lost or unidentified place possibly in Suffolk. The place-name could be a compound of Old English cildra + Old English stān ‘stone’ with reference perhaps to a free standing boulder. In the surname the first element alternates between Childre- and Childe- apparently representing Old English cildra and cilda two different genitive plurals of Old English cild ‘child young (noble)man boy monk’ probably also ‘male heir’ (of any rank). Alternatively the second element is Old English tūn ‘estate’. Old English cild is sometimes compounded with tūn as is clear in early spellings of Chillaton (Devon) Chilton (Berks Somerset) and Chilton Street (Suffolk) as well as Chilson (Oxon) Chilston (Kent) and Chilstone (Herefs) which retain a singular genitival -s. If the original forms of Childerstone were *Cildratūn and *Cildatūn they could have alluded to joint ownership by several male heirs perhaps sokemen or free tenants as recorded for Childerley (Cambs). See Childerley. In that case the medial -s- is not original to the name but a later tautologous genitive added to Middle English childe and childre or childer. Chilton Street in Suffolk (Childton' in the late 12th cent.) is about 13 miles from Kettlebaston and Thorpe Morieux where the surname is first recorded but relevant early spellings with Childe(s)- or Childre(s)- have not been found.

Chillington : from Chillington (Staffs) which is recorded as Cillentone in 1086 Cildentona about 1129 and Chylinton in the 12th century. The place-name may derive from Old English cildena genitive plural of cild ‘child’ + tūn ‘farmstead estate’.

Chilman : 1: possibly from Middle English childesman ‘servant or attendant of a young noble’; see the 1276 record. Childman (from Middle English child ‘young noble’ + man) may have the same meaning.alternatively perhaps from an unrecorded Middle English personal name Childman (Old English *Cildmann) one of the late Old English personal names compounded with -mann with the same elements as in (i). Nicholas Childman was the son of Childman 1279 in Hundred Rolls (Cambs). 2: from the Old English personal name Cēolmund (from cēol ‘ship’ + mund ‘protection guardian’) which was common in the 8th and 9th centuries and recorded once later about 1050 in Herts. It must have continued in use after the Conquest at least in Somerset. For -man from -mund compare Osman.

Cholmondeley : from Cholmondeley in Cheshire which is recorded as Cholmundeleg' about 1240 and Chomley about 1420.

Clayworth : from Clayworth in Notts recorded as Claworth in about 1130.

Cleaveley : 1: see Cleverley. 2: perhaps from Cleveley (Lancs) recorded as Cliueleie in about 1180 and denoting ‘clearing at the cliff’ (Old English clif + lēah) but no evidence has been found for a medieval surname from this place.

Collingridge : perhaps from Cowan Bridge in Lancs recorded as Collingbrigke in about 1200.

Conisbee : from Conesby (Lincs) which is recorded as Cunesbi in 1086 and Cuningesbi about 1115.from Coningsby (Lincs) which is recorded as Cuningesbi in 1086.

Cowap : from Cowpe in Bury (Lancs) recorded as Cuhope in about 1200 (see Lancs Place-Names p. 65).

Cowmeadow : from Cowmeadow Farm in English Bicknor (Gloucs) a transparent name found as a surname in the form Coumede in an unpublished Forest of Dean document (TNA) in about 1275.

Craddock : 1: Welsh and English: from the Welsh personal name Caradawc Cradawc Caradoc Caradog meaning ‘amiable’ familiar in its Latin form Caractacus (but correctly Caratacus for British Celtic Caratācos from the stem carat- ‘dear love’) a British prince who was taken as prisoner to Rome in about 51 AD for his leadership of a revolt against the Roman occupation.2: Americanized form of German Gredig. Compare Graddick.

Crowland : from Crowland (Lincs) which is recorded as Cruland about 1100 and Croyland in 1114. The place-name derives from Old English *crūw ‘bend’ + land ‘land’.

Crowsley : from Crowsley in Shiplake (Oxon) which is recorded as Crokesleye about 1250 and Crowsley in 1598. The place-name derives from an Old English personal name *Crōc (genitive *Crōces) + Old English lēah ‘wood woodland clearing’.

Cryle : perhaps a locative name from Cryla near Maud (Aberdeens) whose name is unexplained; Longside is about 8 miles from here.

Dampney : variant of Daubney with devoicing of /b/ to /p/ and intrusive /m/ before the bilabial consonant. Compare William Dabney 1618 in IGI (Salisbury Wilts) with the 1687 bearer below and Andrew Dawbney 1687 in IGI (Bishops Caundle Dorset) with the 1778 bearer. Salisbury is approximately five miles away from Winterbourne Gunner and Bishops Caundle is about a couple of miles from Glanvilles Wootton.

Den : 1: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 鄧 see Deng.2: Chinese: possibly from the Romanization of certain Chinese personal names of some early Chinese immigrants in the US.3: Origin undetermined. — Note: In the 2010 US Census data about half of the bearers of the surname Den are reported as “White” and some as “Black”. It is possible that in the population figure published by the US Census Bureau the Dutch case-inflected definite article de ‘the’ which forms first part of surnames such as Den Bleyker and Den Boer is in some instances counted as an independent surname. Compare Ten.

Dolphin : English: from the Middle English personal name Dolfin apparently from an Anglo-Scandinavian formation Dólgfinnr (possibly from Old Norse dolgr dólgr ‘mortal enemy’ + the ethnic name Finnr) but there is disagreement about whether or not this might be a Scandinavianized form of Old French Delfin (from Latin Delphinus from the word meaning ‘dolphin’). The surname was taken to Ireland at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 12th century and the original bearers of the name settled in County Galway. The family became bilingual and the name has sometimes been Gaelicized as Doilfin.

Dowker : unexplained; perhaps a locative name from Docker in Whittington parish (Lancs) about 5 miles from Warton or from a place in Westm with the same name. The place-name may be from Old Scandinavian dǫkk ‘hollow valley’ + ǽrgi ‘shieling’.in theory perhaps a nickname from Middle English doukere ‘a diving bird’.

Drew : 1: English (of Norman origin): from a Norman French personal name Dreus based on ancient Germanic Drogo the name of one of the sons of Charlemagne (compare Gothic driugan ‘to serve as a soldier’). In Old French this name became Dreus Drues (nominative) and Dru Driu Dreu (accusative) and was introduced to England by the Normans. For further information about this name see also Montague.2: English: from the personal name Drew a pet form of Andrew which was confused with the same name of Old French origin (see 1 above).3: Irish: when not an adoption of the English surname a shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Druaidh or Ó Druaidh or Ó Draoi ‘son’ and ‘descendant of the druid’ from draoi ‘druid’ genitive druadh or draoi. All of these were often Anglicized as Drury.4: Americanized form of French Dru: nickname from Old French dru ‘favorite lover’ (originally an adjective apparently from a Gaulish word meaning ‘strong vigorous lively’ but influenced by the sense of the Old High German element trūt drūt ‘dear beloved’). The surname of the same (Old) French origin is also found in Britain.

Dunch : from Middle English dunch ‘push knock bump’. Compare Matilda Dunchedeuel (‘punch the devil’) about 1200–10 in Registrum Antiquissimum (Lincs).

Eadsforth : from Edisford Hall in Great Mitton (WR Yorks) about 20 miles east-south-east of Garstang (Lancs) the post-medieval epicentre of the name. The Yorks name means ‘ford associated with someone named with Middle English Ede or Edy’ (see Ede Eady).

Easdon : variant of Easton (‘east town or manor’) in which voicing of /t/ to /d/ confuses -town and -ton with names ending in -down -don and -den. The Kent surname Easdown (also Easdon Easden Easton) is from a lost place on the Isle of Thanet recorded as Estone about 1300 in Saint Augustine and Shipway (Ringslow hundred Kent).

Eckworth : perhaps from Ickworth (House) near Bury Saint Edmunds (Suffolk) which is recorded as Icceuuorde about 1095. The place-name derives from an Old English personal name *Icca + Old English worð ‘enclosure’. However bearers from the 16th and 17th centuries have not been found and so it is not possible to be certain that the medieval forms below are related to the post-medieval name. Alternatively the surname may be a late variant of Ackworth.

Eddowes : apparently a variant of Edowe + post-medieval excrescent -s but the origin of Edowe is obscure. It might have arisen from an English misinterpretation of Welsh Beddow as ap Eddow on the model of Welsh surname variations like Evan and Bevan. It occurs only after the medieval period of surname formation: Thomas Edowe 1595 in IGI (Manchester Lancs); Rowland Edow 1603 Jane Eddowe 1605 Richard Edo 1697 in IGI (Nuneaton Warwicks); Jane Edo 1604 William Edoe 1612 in IGI (Mancetter Warwicks); David Edow 1612 in IGI (Chester Cheshire). Variation with -s-forms is rare but includes John Edowes 1609 Elinor Edowe 1613 in IGI (Holborn Middx) Randall Eddow 1626 Richard Eddows 1635 in IGI (Malpas Cheshire) and Ran. Eddow 1652 Roger Eddows 1678 in IGI (Whitchurch Shrops). Potential evidence for variation with Beddow(s) in the same parishes is also difficult to find: Randull Eddowes 1656 John Beddow 1673 Eleanor Beddows 1741 in IGI (Malpas Cheshire); Raphe Edowes 1656 Edward Beddoes 1729 in IGI (Oswestry Shrops). In these instances Eddow(s) always appears earlier than Beddow(s) and the two names may originally have had nothing to do with each other.an alternative possibility is that Edowe was back-formed from Edowes in which case Edowes would be a variant of Edis from the Middle English female personal name Edus. Compare Edusecros about 1301 in Place-Names of Cheshire 1 p. 124 recorded in Macclesfield where (no doubt coincidentally) the surname Eddows appears some 400 years later. For this name in East Anglia and the London area see also Edhouse.

Eggen : 1: Dutch and North German: genitivized patronymic from a short form of Egbert.2: Swiss German: possibly of the same origin as 1 above but otherwise a topographic name a derivative of Eck 1.3: Norwegian: habitational name from any of about 20 farms notably in Trøndelag so named with the definite singular form of egg ‘ridge edge’ (see Egge).

Ellel : from Ellel (Lancs) which is recorded as Elhale about 1155 and Ellehal in 1208. The place-name derives from the Old English personal name Ella + Old English halh ‘nook corner of land’.

Elstow : from Elstow (Beds) which is recorded as Elnestou in 1086 Alnestow in 1182 and Elstowe about 1475. The place-name may derive from an Old English personal name *Ælna (genitive *Ælnes) + Old English stōw ‘place holy place’.

Englefield : from Englefield in Egham (Surrey) which is recorded as Ingefeld and Ingelfeld in the 13th century or Englefield (Berks) which is recorded as Englafelda about 900. The Surrey place-name probably derives from an Old English personal name *Inga + Old English feld ‘open country’. The Berks place-name derives from Old English Engle ‘the Angles’ (genitive plural Engla) + Old English feld.

Fancher : 1: Altered form of English Fanshaw which is perhaps a habitational name from Fanshaw Gate in Holmesfield (Derbyshire) which is recorded as le Faunchallegatehede in 1456 and Fawnchallegate in 1472. However this place may take its name from a surname such as Faunchall or Fanshaw and not the other way about.2: In some cases possibly also an altered form of French Fanger.

Farndale : from Farndale in Kirkby Moorside (NR Yorks) which is recorded as Farnedale in about 1160 and Farendale in 1207. The place-name derives from Old English fearn ‘fern bracken’ + dæl ‘valley’. Compare Varndell.

Fazackerley : from Fazakerley in Walton on the Hill (Lancs) which is recorded as Phasakyrlee in about 1250 and Fazakerley in 1509. The place-name contains Middle English ley ‘woodland clearing glade’ (Old English lēah ‘open woodland’) qualified by an earlier place-name Fasacre (recorded in the surname of Richard de ffasacre 1325 in Lancs Court Rolls) which probably derives from Old English fæs ‘border fringe’ + æcer OE ‘plot or strip of cultivated land acre’.

Featherstonhaugh : from Featherstone in Haltwhistle (Northumb) which is recorded as Fetherstanhalcht in about 1215 Fetherstan in 1255 and Fetherstanehalgh in 1346. The place-name derives from Old English feoðer- ‘four’ + stān ‘stone’ i.e. ‘tetralith’ with halh ‘nook corner’. Compare Featherstone.

Fernyhough : principally from the obsolete place-name Ferny Hough in Endon (Staffs) which is recorded as Fernihalu in about 1278 and Fernyhalg in 1307 but possibly occasionally also from Fernyhalgh in Broughton (Lancs) which is recorded as Fernehalgh in 1500 and Fernyhalgh in 1516. The place-names derive from Old English fearnig ‘ferny overgrown with fern’ + halh ‘nook corner’.

Ferrers : 1: from Ferrières-Saint-Hilaire in Broglie (Eure) which is recorded as Fererias in about 1000 and Ferrières in Le Teilleul (Manche). The place-names derive from Latin ferraria ‘ironworks place where iron ore is extracted’. 2: variant of Farrar (compare Ferrer) with post-medieval excrescent -s.

Firk : from Middle English firkthe firke ferke ‘frith wood(land)’ a development of Old English firhþe (ge)fyrhþe ferhþe with medial -h- pronounced as /k/. Compare Firk Firth and Frick (2).alternatively it may be a variant of Frick (1) with metathesis of -r-. Compare the rare Modern English slang word firk ‘to move about briskly; to dance jig or be lively’.

Fishenden : from the lost place-name Festinden in Hawkhurst (Kent) recorded as Festendenn about 1270.

Fleckney : 1: from Fleckney (Leics) which is recorded as Flechenie in 1086 Flekeneye in about 1130 and Fleckeneya in 1230. The place-name derives from Old English ēg ‘island’ with an uncertain first element perhaps an Old English *fleca ‘hurdle’ (genitive singular *flecan) or personal name *Flecca (genitive *Fleccan). Some of the early bearers cited here may belong with (2). 2: see Flecknoe.

Fogden : from the lost place Folkinden in Sandhurst (Kent) which is recorded as ffolkinden in 1302 (Additional Charters British Library) and Fokynden in about 1575 (Centre for Kentish Studies). The place-name probably means ‘woodland pasture associated with a man called Folc(a)’ from an Old English personal name *Folc or *Folca + the connective particle -ing- + denn ‘woodland pasture swine pasture’.

Forgan : from Forgan (Fife) which is recorded as Forgrund in 1199–1202 Forgund in 1452 and Forgone in about 1560–70 or from Longforgan (Perths) recorded as Forgrund in 1153–65. The place-names derive from Gaelic *gronn ‘bog marsh’ qualified either by the preposition for ‘above beside’ i.e. ‘(place) above or beside a bog’ or by the intensifying prefix for- i.e. ‘big bog’ (perhaps ‘projecting bog’).

Foxton : 1: from one or more of the numerous places so named such as Foxton in Thimbleby (NR Yorks) which is recorded as Foxtune in 1088 Foxton (Leics) recorded as Foxtone in 1086 and Foxton (Cambs) recorded as Foxetune Foxtona in 1086. The place-names derive from Old English fox ‘fox’ + tūn ‘farmstead estate’. 2: from Foxton in Sedgefield (Durham) which is recorded as Foxedene in about 1170 or Foxton in Alwinton (Northumb) recorded as Foxden in 1324. The place-names derive from Old English fox ‘fox’ + denu ‘valley’.

Fursdon : 1: from one or more of three places in Devon whose names derive from Old English fyrs ‘furze’ + dūn ‘hill’. Fursdon in Staverton is recorded as Firsdon in 1384 and Fursdon in Cadbury is recorded as Fursdon in about 1200. The 1228 bearer cited below constitutes the earliest evidence for Fursdon in Bratton Clovelly. Some of the post-medieval bearers given here may belong to (2). 2: perhaps also from one or more of four places in Devon whose names derive from Middle English fursen the weak plural form of furs ‘furze’ (Old English fyrs). Furzedown in Malborough is recorded as Fursen in 1509–47. The 1318 1330 and 1394 bearers cited below constitute the earliest evidence for Fursdon in Lustleigh Fursdon in Holbeton and Fursdon in Sherford respectively. All four place-names have developed a medial -d- and the surname(s) may well have done likewise.

Gainford : from Gainford (Durham) which is recorded as Gegenford in about 1050 Geinforde in about 1105 and Gaineford in 1196. The place-name derives from Old English gegn ‘direct’ + ford ‘ford river crossing’.

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