Last names linked to AT

Origin

A'Lee : variant of Middle English atte Leye ‘(dweller) at the clearing’ (Old English lēah ‘open woodland’). Compare Attley.

Abadia : Spanish: topographic name or metonymic occupational name denoting a lay person who lived and/or worked at an abbey or nunnery (abadía from Latin abbatia) or a habitational name from any of several places called Abadía for example in Cáceres.

Abbotts : English:: 1: topographic or occupational name from Middle English (atte) abbotes ‘(at the of the) abbot's (house or quarters)’ a name for someone who lived or worked at such a place presumably a servant.2: variant of Abbott with post-medieval excrescent -s.

Abee : 1: Americanized form of Swiss German Äbi (see Eby).2: Probably also a shortened form of Irish McAbee.3: Possibly also an Americanized form of French Abbé see Abbe.4: In some cases possibly also Dutch: from the personal name Abe a shortened form of Albert or Albrecht. It may also be from the initials A. B. as in the case of at least one surname in Groningen.

Achilles : 1: German: humanistic name or soldier's name with reference to the prowess and near invulnerability of the classical Greek hero (Greek Achilleus) the leading warrior of the Greek army at the siege of Troy.2: In some cases also an Americanized form of surnames in other languages based on the Greek name Achilleus such as Italian and French Achille.

Achter : 1: North German and Dutch: from achter ‘behind; at the back’ a topographic name for someone living at the back of a main settlement. Compare Achterberg and Achterhof of which Achter may be a shortened form.2: German (also Ächter) and Jewish (Ashkenazic): possibly an agent noun derived from achten ‘to reckon or estimate’ (Middle High German ahten ‘to reckon check; to appraise’) or ächten ‘to outlaw proscribe’ hence an occupational name for an appraiser or record keeper or a prosecutor; alternatively an altered form of Auchter ‘watcher’ (i.e. someone who watched over a flock or herd).3: German: nickname for a member in a council or association of eight men (acht ‘eight’).4: German: habitational name for someone from a place called Acht in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Acklam : from either Acklam (ER Yorks) or West Acklam (NR Yorks) both of which are recorded as Aclun in 1086 Acclum in the 12th century. The etymology of the place-names is uncertain. They possibly contain Old Scandinavian *ak(k)ul- ‘ankle’ (used in Norwegian place-names with the sense ‘slope’) in the dative plural form *ak(k)lum i.e. ‘(place) at the slopes’. Alternatively they may derive from an Old English *āc-lēah ‘oak wood oak-tree clearing’ in the dative plural form *āc-lēum i.e. ‘(place) at the oak-tree clearings’.

Adam : 1: English Scottish German French Walloon Breton Dutch Flemish Romanian Polish Czech Slovak Slovenian Croatian and Assyrian/Chaldean; Hungarian (Ádám): from the Biblical personal name Adam which was borne according to Genesis by the first man. It is the generic Hebrew term for ‘man’ which is probably a derivative of Hebrew adama ‘earth’ (compare the classical Greek legend that Zeus fashioned the first human beings from earth). Adam was very popular as a personal name among non-Jews throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. Jews however did not use this personal name except in recent times under Polish and English influence.2: Spanish: variant of Adán ‘Adam’ (see Adan).3: Muslim: from the personal name Ādam Arabic variant of Adam. Compare Adem.4: American shortened form of Scottish and Irish McAdam and also of cognates from other languages (see examples 5 below and at Adams).5: American shortened (and altered) form of Armenian Atamian or Adamian.

Adrian : English French German Polish and Romanian: from a vernacular form of the Latin personal name Adrianus (Hadrianus) originally an ethnic name denoting someone from the coast of the Adriatic (Latin Adria). It was borne by several minor early Christian saints in particular a martyr at Nicomedia (died c. 304) the patron saint of soldiers and butchers. Later the name was adopted by several popes including the only pope of English birth Nicholas Breakspear who reigned as Adrian IV (1154–59).

Afriyie : West African (Ghana): from an Akan male personal name a circumstance name meaning literally ‘has appeared well’ i.e. ‘has appeared at the right time (a time of prosperity)’.

Aguilar : 1: Spanish and Catalan: habitational name from any of numerous places called Aguilar from Latin aquilare ‘haunt of eagles’ (a derivative of aquila ‘eagle’) for example Aguilar de Campo in Palencia Aguilar de la Frontera in Córdoba and Aguilar de Segarra in Catalonia. Compare Aquilar.2: Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Iberian surname (see 1 above) at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.

Ahlin : 1: Swedish: ornamental topographic or habitational name from an ornamental spelling of al ‘alder’ (also from placenames containing this word or from a placename such as Altuna of uncertain etymology) + the adjectival suffix -in a derivative of Latin -in(i)us ‘relating to’. In a topographic sense it could have been adopted on account of a prominent alder tree at the home farm.2: Slovenian: nickname derived from ahle ‘hackle teasel’.

Ahlman : 1: Americanized form of German Ahlmann: topographic name literally meaning ‘swamp man’.2: Swedish: ornamental or topographic name from an ornamental spelling of al ‘alder’ + man ‘man’ or a habitational name for someone from a place called with the element al. In a topographic sense it could have been adopted on account of a prominent alder tree at the home farm. Compare Allman and Alman.

Ake : 1: English: topographic name for someone living by a prominent oak tree from Middle English ake ‘oak’ or a habitational name from the village of Aike near Lockington East Yorkshire which is named with Old English āc ‘oak’ dative āce ‘(place at) the oak tree’.2: Amerindian (Mexico): from the name of the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan settlement in the Yucatán Peninsula.

Aland : 1: Scandinavian (Åland): topographic name from the Åland Islands in the Gulf of Bothnia.2: English: topographic name from Middle English atte lande (Old French laund) ‘dweller at the glade or pasture’ or sometimes perhaps ‘dweller at the old cultivated land(s)’ from Old English eald ald ‘old’ + land ‘land’.

Alcott : English: ostensibly a topographic name from any of a large number of places called in Old English as ‘the old cottage’ (Old English (e)ald + cot(e)). In fact however it is generally an altered form of Alcock in part at least for euphemistic reasons.

Aldwinckle : from Aldwincle (Northants) whose name may be from the Old English personal name Ealda Alda deriving from eald ald ‘old’ + wincel ‘bend’ referring to the prominent bend in the river Nene at Aldwincle. A case might be made that it is ‘the old bend’ in view of the complex and changing pattern of the watercourses at this place which is suggested by the line of the southern parish boundary.

Allemann : Swiss German: from the name of the Alemanni an ancient Germanic tribe living in the area north of Lake Constance at the time of the Roman Empire later used as a designation for a German living in the vicinity of the Romance speaking lands. Compare Alleman and Allaman.

Allington : English (southern): habitational name from any of at least nine different places called Allington two in Kent three in Wiltshire and one each in Dorset Devon Hampshire and Lincolnshire. These have different origins: those in Devon Wiltshire near Chippenham and Kent near Maidstone are from the Old English personal name Ælla + -ingtūn meaning ‘Ælla's farm’; those in Dorset Wiltshire near Devizes and Lincolnshire are named with Old English ætheling ‘prince' + tūn meaning ‘settlement of the prince’; those in Hampshire and Wiltshire near Amesbury are from the Old English personal name Ealda + tūn; and the one in Kent near Lenham is from the Old English personal name Æthelnōth + -ingtūn meaning ‘Æthelnōth's farm’.

Allport : English: topographic name for someone who lived at the old town or market from Middle English olde ‘old’ + port ‘town market’ or a habitational name from a place so named such as Alport in Youlgreave Derbyshire or Alport in Church Stoke Montgomeryshire.

Almeida : 1: Spanish and Portuguese: habitational name from any of numerous places called Almeida in western Spain and in Portugal all named from Arabic al-māida ‘table’ (in topographic sense ‘upland tableland’ or ‘hill’). Compare De Almeida.2: Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Iberian surname (see 1 above) at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.

Althoff : German (mainly Westphalia): habitational name for someone who lived at the ‘old farmstead’ after distribution of the estate from Middle Low German olt alt ‘old’ + hof ‘farmstead manor farm’; compare Olthoff.

Alton : English:: 1: habitational name from any of the many places called Alton in Derbyshire Dorset Hampshire Leicestershire Staffordshire Wiltshire Worcestershire and elsewhere. The origin of the placename is various: Alton in Derbyshire and Alton Grange in Leicestershire probably have as their first element Old English (e)ald ‘old’. Those in Hampshire Dorset and Wiltshire are at the sources of rivers and are named in Old English as ‘settlement (tūn) at the river source (ǣwiell)’. Others derive from various Old English personal names; for example the one in Staffordshire is formed with an unattested personal name Ælfa and one in Worcestershire Eanulfintun in 1023 is ‘settlement associated with (-ing) Ēanwulf’. The surname may also be from Auton Stile in Durham Saint Oswalds (Durham) which is recorded as Altone c. 1200.2: variant of Olton. Compare Allton.

Alvares : 1: Portuguese: patronymic from the personal name Álvaro (see Alvaro).2: Hispanic: altered form of Spanish Álvarez (see Alvarez).3: Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the name in 1 above at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.

Alvarez : 1: Spanish (Álvarez): patronymic from the personal name Álvaro (see Alvaro). Compare Alavarez Albares Albarez Alvares and Alverez.2: Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the name in 1 above at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.

Amend : German: topographic name for someone living at the end of a settlement or street from Middle High German am ende ‘at the end’.

Amour : 1: English and French: nickname from Old French amour (from Latin amor) ‘love; beloved sweetheart’.2: French: from the medieval personal name Amour from Latin Amor 2. There was a Saint Amor of obscure history and unknown date whose relics were preserved and venerated at the village of Saint Amour in Burgundy. Compare Damour.3: English (of Norman origin): variant of Amer and Amar.4: Muslim (mainly Algeria) and Jewish (mainly from Algeria): from a French-influenced variant of the Arabic personal name ʿAmmūr a regional derivative of Ammar or as a Muslim name only of Omar. Compare Amor 4.5: Muslim: possibly also from a French-influenced variant of the Arabic personal name Amūr ‘commanding’.

Amstutz : Swiss German and German: topographic name for someone living near or at the foot of a steep mountainside German am Stutz ‘at the escarpment’.

Anastasia : Italian:: 1: from the personal name Anastasia feminine form of Anastasio. Anastasia was a popular personal name in medieval southern Europe because of the cult of a 4th-century Christian saint who was martyred at Sirmium in Pannonia. She was widely venerated especially in the Eastern Church.2: in some instances perhaps a habitational name from the placename Santa Anastasìa in Naples province.

Anderson : 1: Scottish and northern English: patronymic from the personal name Ander(s) a northern Middle English form of Andrew + son ‘son’. The frequency of the surname in Scotland is attributable at least in part to the fact that Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland so the personal name has long enjoyed great popularity there. Legend has it that the saint's relics were taken to Scotland in the 4th century by a certain Saint Regulus. In North America this surname has absorbed many cognate or like-sounding surnames in other languages notably Scandinavian (see 3 and 4 below) but also Ukrainian Andreychenko etc.2: German: patronymic from the personal name Anders hence a cognate of 1 above.3: Americanized form (and a less common Swedish variant) of Swedish Andersson a cognate of 1 above.4: Americanized form of Norwegian Danish and North German Andersen or Anderssen cognates of 1 above.

Andrew : English and Scottish: from the usual vernacular English form (recorded from the 13th century onward) of the New Testament Greek personal name Andreas. In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed many cognates from other languages e.g. Czech Ondřej (see Ondrey) and Albanian Ndreu and also their patronymics and other derivatives (see examples at Andrews).

Annunziata : Italian: from a short form of the Marian name Maria l'Annunziata referring to the Annunciation by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of her impending motherhood (Luke 1:20–38). The festival of the Annunciation has been celebrated since the 5th century. It was at first kept on Ember Wednesday during Lent but was later moved to 25 March exactly nine months before Christmas Day replacing pagan festivals celebrating the vernal equinox.

Anselm : English and German: from the ancient Germanic personal name Anshelm composed of the elements ans- ‘god’ + helm ‘protection helmet’. The personal name was taken to France and England by St. Anselm (c. 1033–1109) known as the Father of Scholasticism. He was born in Aosta Italy joined the Benedictine order at Bec in Normandy France and in 1093 became archbishop of Canterbury England.

Antcliff : English: habitational name from Arncliffe Yorkshire with loss of -r- and at a later stage an intrusive -t- or (less probably) from Arnecliff in Egton or Ingleby Arncliffe both in North Yorkshire. All are named from Old English earn ‘eagle’ (genitive plural earna) + clif ‘cliff’.

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.

Arbanas : Croatian: ethnic name for an Albanian which is of Greek origin (compare Arvanitis). At least in part it refers to Catholic Albanian refugees from the Turks who settled in Dalmatia in the 18th century.

Arias : 1: Spanish: from the medieval personal name Arias of disputed origin.2: Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Spanish surname (see above) at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.

Armenta : 1: Spanish: derivative of armento ‘cattle livestock’ (from Latin armenta ‘herds’) applied to cattle and horses and by extension to places and persons involved with them hence either a metonymic occupational name for a herdsman or a topographic name for someone who lived at a place where cattle or horses were raised.2: Italian: variant of Armento a cognate of 1 above.

Arnold : 1: English Scottish German Dutch French (mainly Alsace and Lorraine) Hungarian Czech Slovak Polish Croatian and Slovenian: from the ancient Germanic personal name Arnwald (Middle English Arnold Old French Arnaut) composed of the elements arn ‘eagle’ + wald ‘rule power’. This name was introduced to Britain by the Normans.2: English: habitational name from either of two places called Arnold in Nottinghamshire and East Yorkshire from Old English earn ‘eagle’ + halh ‘nook’.3: Jewish (Ashkenazic): adoption of the German personal name (see 1 above) at least in part on account of its resemblance to the Jewish name Aaron.

Arridge : 1: from Middle English atte rigge ‘(dweller) at the ridge’. Compare Ridge and Attridge. 2: see Harridge. 3: see Erridge.

Art : 1: South German: perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a farmer from Middle High German art ‘farmland’. See Artman compare Arth. Alternatively mainly in Bavaria and Austria a topographic name for someone who lived at the end of a village Middle High German ort ‘point end’.2: Irish: shortened form of Mac Airt (see McCart) containing the Gaelic personal name Art ‘bear’.

Ashour : 1: Americanized form of German Aschauer a habitational name for someone from Aschau in Bavaria.2: Muslim: from a personal name based on the Arabic name (ʿāshūr) of the 10th day of the month of Muḥarram being the day of the death of imam Husain in a massacre at Karbala.3: Assyrian/Chaldean: from a variant of ‘Āshūr the name of the capital of the Old Assyrian Empire.

Atherfold : from Middle English at ther folde ‘(dweller or worker) at the fold (in the sense pen for farm animals)’.

Atherley : English (Midlands):: 1: topographic name for someone living ‘at the clearing or meadow’ from Middle English at the(r) lee (Old English æt thǣre lēage). Compare Atlee.2: variant of Heatherly a variant of Hatherley with loss of initial H-. The surname Atherley is also found in the West Indies (mainly Barbados) Guyana and Panama.

Athersmith : from Middle English at the(r) smythie denoting someone who lived (and presumably worked) at a smithy (Old English smiþþe).possibly also from Middle English at ther smethe ‘dweller at the smooth level place’ (Old English smēðe).

Atherton : 1: English: habitational name from a place near Manchester named Atherton from the Old English personal name Æthelhere + Old English tūn ‘settlement’.2: English: habitational name from Hatherton Staffordshire from Old English haguthorn + dūn ‘the hill where hawthorn grows’.3: English (East Anglia): topographic name from Middle English at ther doune ‘(dweller) on the hill’ (Old English æt thǣre dūne). Through confusion of -don and -ton Attherdoune was altered to Atherton Adderton and Atterton.4: English: variant of Atterton a habitational name from Atterton in Witherley Leicestershire possibly derived from the Old English personal name Æthelred or Ēadred + tūn ‘farmstead’.

Athill : from Middle English atte hill ‘(dweller) at the hill’ (Old English hyll).

Atkey : from Middle English atte key ‘(dweller or worker) at the quay’. Compare Kay.

Atlee : English: topographic name for someone whose dwelling was ‘by the clearing or meadow’ from Middle English at the(r) lee (Old English æt thǣre lēage). The word lea or lee (Old English lēah) originally meant ‘wood’ thence ‘clearing in a wood’ and by the Middle English period ‘grassy meadow’.

Atmore : English (Norfolk): topographic name from Middle English atte more ‘(dweller) at the moor marsh or fen’ (Old English æt thǣm mōre).

Atnip : English: perhaps from Middle English atte knappe (from Old English cnæpp ‘hill’ or ‘summit’) a topographic name for someone who lived at the top of a hill.

Aton : English:: 1: variant of Hatton with loss of initial H-.2: topographic name from Middle English atte toun ‘(dweller) at the settlement’ (Old English æt thǣm tūn(e)).

Atterberry : English: from Middle English at ther bery ‘at the manor house’ a slightly older form of Atteberry. The -ter- spelling represents a survival into early Middle English of Thære Old English feminine dative of se ‘the’.

Attersall : from Middle English at the(r) sol(e) ‘at the muddy pond’ (Old English æt þǣre sol). Compare Sole (1).alternatively from Middle English at the(r) sale salle ‘at the sallow willow’. Compare Sale (2).Middle English at the(r) sal(e) ‘at the hall’. Compare Sale (3).

Atterton : 1: from Atterton in Witherley (Leics) which is recorded as Aterton in 1205 of uncertain origin. It may be from Old English tūn ‘farm village’ with the given name Æthelrǣd. 2: possibly an occasional variant of Atton (2) from Middle English atte toun ‘(dweller) at the settlement’. 3: see Etherton. 4: see Atherton.

Attley : from Middle English at the(r) lee ‘(dweller) at the woodland clearing’ (Old English æt þǣre lēage). Compare Atherley.

Attmere : from Middle English atte mere ‘(dweller) at the pond lake or pool’ (Old English æt þǣm mere).from Middle English atte meare ‘(dweller) at the boundary' (Old English æt þǣm (ge)mǣre).

Atton : 1: variant of Hatton with loss of initial H-. 2: from Middle English atte toun ‘(dweller) at the settlement’ (Old English æt þǣm tūn(e)). Compare Town.

Attreed : from Middle English atte read ‘(dweller) at a clearing in a wood’. See Read.

Attwater : from Middle English at (the) water ‘(dweller) beside the water’ (Old English wæter) usually a reference to a pond stream or river. Compare Bywater and Waterer.

Atwell : English: topographic name from Middle English atte welle (Old English at thǣre wielle) ‘by the spring or well’. Compare Attwell Tuell and Well.

Atwick : probably from Middle English atte wyk denoting a dweller or worker at a dairy farm (Old English wīc ‘specialized or outlying farm’) but the ER Yorks place-name Atwick is an alternative possibility.

Aubin : 1: French: from the personal name Aubin (from Latin Albinus a derivative of albus ‘white’). This was the name of several minor early Christian saints including a famous bishop of Angers (died c. 554). At an early date this name became confused with the ancient Germanic personal name Albuin (see Albin). Compare Obey and Obin.2: English: variant of Albin.

Auch : South German (mainly Stuttgart): metonymic occupational name for someone who minded cattle at night from Middle High German uhte ‘night watch night pasture’ or ‘time just before dawn’. Compare Auchter.

Auchter : 1: South German: occupational name for someone who watched cattle at night from Middle High German uhte ‘night watch night pasture’ or ‘time just before dawn’. Compare Auch.2: Scottish: topographic name from Gaelic uachdar ‘upland summit’ or a habitational name from a place in Perthshire named with this word.

Aucoin : French (northern and southwestern): from an Old French personal name Alcuin of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements alh ‘temple’ and win ‘friend’ and borne by a famous English scholar and theologian (c. 735–804) an influential figure at the court of Charlemagne. The surname has been assimilated by folk etymology to the French phrase au coin ‘at the corner’. Compare Ocoin and O'Quinn.

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.

Auerbach : 1: German: habitational name from any of several places in southern Germany and Austria called Auerbach ‘the stream at the water meadow’. See also 2 Au and Bach.2: Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name from the town of Auerbach in the Upper Palatinate Bavaria. Compare Averbach.

Aughton : from any of at least three places called Aughton(Lancs ER Yorks WR Yorks) all of whose names derive from Old English āc ‘oak’ + tūn ‘farm village’.

Aurelio : Italian and Spanish: from the personal name Aurelio from Latin Aurelius a name of pre-Roman origin borne by a plebeian family at ancient Rome and by Saint Aurelius of Carthage a fifth-century Christian saint. As a surname of Spanish origin it is most common in the Philippines and Mexico whereas as a surname of Italian origin it is also found in southern France.

Aust : 1: German: from a shortened form of the personal name August or Augustin.2: English: habitational name from Aust Gloucestershire whose name derives from Latin augustus ‘consecrated majestic venerable’ in a Vulgar Latin and Brittonic Celtic form agust- with possible reference to the Roman Second Legion (Augusta) stationed at Caerleon on Usk just across the Severn from Aust in 75 C.E.

Avallone : Italian (southern): topographic name for someone who lived in a deep valley from vallone ‘deep valley gorge’ (augmentative of valle ‘valley’) with initial a probably acquired by reinterpretation of da vallone ‘from or at (the) gorge’ as d'avallone.

Avern : probably from Middle English atte fe(a)rn(e) ‘at the fern’ (Old English æt þǣm fearne) with voicing of /f/ to /v/ denoting someone who lived at an area of bracken. See Fearn (note in particular Henry atte Verne 1275 in Subsidy Rolls (Worcs)) and compare its variants Vern Verne.

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.

Aylward : English: from a Middle English personal name Ailward Old English Æthelweard composed of elements meaning ‘noble’ + ‘guardian’. This English name has been established in Ireland since at least the 16th century.

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.

Azevedo : 1: Portuguese: topographic name for someone whose dwelling was by a clump of holly bushes (see Acevedo). Compare Asevedo.2: Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Portuguese surname (see 1 above) at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.

Bacher : 1: German and Swiss German: topographic name from Middle High German bach ‘stream’ + the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant who lived by a stream or a habitational name for someone from any of various places called with this word for example Bach or Bachern.2: Jewish (western Ashkenazic): variant of Bacharach.3: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from an agent derivative of Bach 2 one of surnames assigned at random by Austrian clerks.4: Danish: probably of German origin (see 1 above).5: Norwegian: rare variant of Bakker.6: English: variant of Batcher.

Back : 1: English (Devon Kent Sussex and Norfolk): from the Middle English personal name Bakke (Old English Bacca). It is of uncertain origin but may have been a byname in the same sense as 3.2: English: nickname from Middle English bakke ‘bat’ of uncertain application perhaps a nickname for a person with poor eyesight from the expression ‘blind as a bat’.3: English: from Middle English bakke ‘back’ (Old English bæc) hence a nickname for someone with a hunched back or some other noticeable peculiarity of the back or spine or a topographic name for someone who lived on a hill or ridge or at the rear of a settlement.4: Americanized form of German Bach 1 2 or 6.5: German (Bäck): variant of Beck.6: North German and Dutch: from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch back ‘trough tub bin’ hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made or used such artefacts.7: Dutch and North German: perhaps also a derivative of baa(c)k ‘pig; bacon ham’ hence a nickname for a butcher or a pig farmer.8: Dutch: topographic name for someone who lived at the back of somewhere such as a village a main street or a manor house from a phrase such as van de back or from Bak- ‘back’ as a bound form.9: Dutch: from the medieval personal name Ba(c)k(e) which could be a short form of several ancient Germanic personal names beginning with Bald- ‘bold’ Bade- ‘envoy’ or Bag- ‘up in arms’.10: Dutch: in some cases also a derivative of Backer ‘baker and perhaps also a nickname for someone with a hunched back as in the English name in 3 above.11: Swedish (Bäck): topographic or ornamental name from bäck ‘small stream or brook’ or a habitational name from a place called Bäck or from a placename containing the word bäck. Compare Beck.12: Swedish: variant of Backe.13: Americanized form of Norwegian Bakk (see Bakke).

Backhaus : German: from Middle High German backhūs ‘bakehouse’ hence a topographic name for someone who lived at a communal bake oven. Compare Bacchus Backus Bakehouse and Bockus.

Backhouse : for someone who worked at a bakery from Middle English bak(e)hous ‘bake-house bakery’.

Balaji : Indian (Andhra Pradesh): from Hindi Sanskrit bala ‘young boy’ + the -ji suffix a mark of respect. This name is particularly associated with Vishnu as the reigning deity at Sri Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh. The god is said to have appeared as a young boy and playmate to a devotee named Ramanuja who named the idol at the temple as Balaji.

Balfanz : German (Pomerania): probably from an occupational name for a juggler at fairs from Middle High German bal ‘ball’ + vanz ‘rogue joker’.

Baller : 1: English: occupational name from an agent derivative of Middle English bal ball(e) ‘ball sphere’ perhaps denoting a ball maker.2: English: variant of Ball 2 for someone who lived at a knoll from a derivative of Middle English bal ball(e) ‘knoll rounded hill’ the suffix -er denoting an inhabitant.3: German: from a variant of the ancient Germanic personal name Balther (from bald ‘bold strong’).

Ballett : 1: from the Norman personal name Balet a diminutive of Continental Germanic Ballo of uncertain origin perhaps a nickname from *bal(l)- ‘ball’. 2: from Middle English bal ball(e) ‘ball sphere’ + heved hed ‘head’ perhaps for a round-headed person or synonymous with Middle English balled ‘bald (of the head) hairless’ as suggested in MED at balled adj. Compare Bald (2).

Ballin : 1: German and Danish: habitational name from a place so named near Neubrandenburg Germany.2: Jewish (western Ashkenazic): most likely metronymic from the hypocoristic form (using the suffix -lin) of the Yiddish female personal name Be(y)le (see Balin 1). Earliest bearers of the name spelling Bal(l)in or Bellin appear in available sources of Switzerland at the turn of the 14th–15th centuries.3: Hispanic: altered form of Asturian-Leonese Vallín (see Vallin).4: French: metonymic occupational name for a maker of straw mattresses Old French ballin.5: French: variant of Balin a derivative of Bal.6: English (of Norman origin): variant of Balaam (see Ballam).

Ballow : 1: Variant or Americanized form of Ballou a surname of probable French origin. Compare Ballew 1 and Ballowe.2: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Bailleul-Neuville (Seine-Maritime) or Bailleul-en-Gouffern (Orne). This surname had a long history in Highworth (Wiltshire) from at least the late 13th century to the 18th century. Today it is very rare in Britain.3: English Irish and Scottish: variant of Bellew 1.

Balogun : West African (Nigeria): Yoruba name from balógun title of a leading warrior second in command to a king etymologically baba ní ogun literally ‘father in or at war’.

Baltazar : 1: Spanish Portuguese Catalan and German; Hungarian and Slovak (Baltazár): from the Biblical personal names Balthazar and Belshazzar which were originally distinct but by medieval times had come to be regarded as variants of a single name. The first is from Aramaic Balshatzar Babylonian Baal tas-assar ‘may Baal preserve his life’ the second from Babylonian Baal shar-uzzur ‘may Baal protect the king’. The latter was borne by the Chaldean king for whom the Hebrew prophet Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall (Daniel 5). The main reason for the popularity of Balthazar as a personal name in medieval Europe was that according to legend it was the name of one of the three Magi from the East who attended Christ's birth. His supposed relics were venerated at first in Milan but after 1164 in Cologne. This surname is most common in Mexico.2: Altered form of Italian Baldassarre or one of its variants or cognates.

Bander : 1: German (Bänder): occupational name for a cooper (see Bender).2: Jewish (Ashkenazic; also Bänder): from German Band ‘cord’ + the suffix -er either an occupational name for a cord maker or a name distributed at random by Austrian clerks.

Bankhead : Scottish: topographic name for someone who lived at the top or end of a bank or hill (see Bank 5) or habitational name from a place with this origin. There are several minor places in Scotland so called but the most likely source of the surname is one on the border between the parishes of Kilmarnock and Dreghorn in Ayrshire.

Banos : 1: Spanish (Baños): habitational name from any of numerous places called for their public baths baños (from Latin balnea). In some instances the name may have arisen as a metonymic occupational name for an attendant at a public bath house.2: Hungarian (Bános): from a diminutive of Bán (see Ban).

Barkhouse : English (Durham): habitational name and occupational name; for someone who lived or worked at a ‘barkhouse’ i.e. a tannery or (more specifically) a building by a tannery where the bark of oak trees (or certain other trees) was stored for use in tanning leather. From ancient times throughout the Middle Ages and up to the present day leather has been processed with tree bark to make it softer more durable and waterproof.

Barne : 1: from the Middle English personal name Bern Barn. In the Midlands and East Anglia this is based on the Scandinavian personal name Biǫrn anglicized as Beorn; in the south-west it is from Old English Beorn; both names are from a word meaning ‘warrior’. Some of the following surname bearers may alternatively belong with other senses below. 2: from Middle English barn (Old Scandinavian barn) ‘child’. This term is found in Domesday Book as a byname for men of the upper classes; it might also have had the meaning ‘young man of a prominent family’ like Middle English child (see Child). 3: for residence near or employment at a barn Middle English bern (Old English bere-ærn). See also Barnes. Some of the post-medieval bearers may alternatively belong with (1) or (2). 4: see Barron.

Barnes : 1: English: habitational name from Barnes (on the Surrey bank of the Thames in London) named with Old English bere-ærn ‘barn a storehouse for barley and other grain’ or a topographic name or metonymic occupational name for someone who lived by or worked at a barn or barns from Middle English barn ‘barn granary’.2: English: variant of Barne with excrescent -s derived from either the Middle English personal name Bern Barn (based on the Scandinavian personal name Biǫrn or Old English Beorn both from a word meaning ‘warrior’) or from Middle English barn (Old Norse barn) ‘child’. The latter term is found as a byname for men of the upper classes; it might also have had the meaning ‘young man of a prominent family’ like Middle English child (see Child).3: Irish: in Ireland in many cases this is no doubt the English name but in others it is possibly an Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bearáin ‘descendant of Bearán’ a byname meaning ‘spear’.4: French: variant of Bernes a derivative of a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with ber(n) ‘bear’ e.g. Bernhard.5: Jewish: variant of Parnes.

Barrocas : 1: Portuguese and Jewish (Sephardic from Portugal): habitational name from any of several places called Barrocas literally meaning ‘caves’. Compare Barocas.2: Jewish (Sephardic): also an adoption of the Portuguese surname (see 1 above) at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the surname their families used as Catholics.

Bassington : of uncertain origin; perhaps in some cases at least a variant of Brassington with loss of -r-.

Batchelor : English: status name for a young knight or novice at arms Middle English and Old French bacheler (medieval Latin baccalarius). The word had already been extended to mean ‘(young) unmarried man’ by the 14th century but it is unlikely that many bearers of the surname derive from the word in that sense.

Bath : 1: English (southern): habitational name from the city of Bath in Somerset or possibly from Bathe Barton in North Tawton in Devon or some other minor places so called. The city of Bath is the site of the sumptuous but in the Middle Ages ruined Roman baths. The place is named with the dative plural of Old English bæth ‘bath’. In some cases the surname may have originated as a metonymic occupational name for an attendant at a public bath house.2: German: variant of Bathe.3: Indian (Punjab): Sikh name based on the name of a Jat clan of unexplained etymology.

Batham : possibly from the place referred to in the name of the Roman road Bathamgate in Derbys. The place-name is lost but it is from *Baðum the dative plural of OE bað ‘bath’ and must denote the Roman baths at Buxton where the road leads. The first and second bearers may really belong with Beetham or with a lost place referred to in the name of Henricus atte Bathe 1381 in Poll Tax (Chelmarsh Sutton and Hampton Shrops) respectively.

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Geographic distribution of the 21,951 individuals with the name AT on Geneanet.

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