Origin and popularity of the name ENGLAND
Origin
England : 1: English: habitational name from Middle English Engelond ‘England’. It was probably a formal alternative to English which is also well evidenced as a surname in England. These names may have been acquired by English landowners who moved in Norman social circles or who lived in a neighbouring country (Scotland Wales or Ireland) or by English merchants who traded abroad.2: Norwegian: habitational name from any of various farmsteads so named from Old Norse eng ‘meadow’ + land ‘land’.3: Swedish: ornamental name with the same meaning as 2.
Aaron : Jewish English Welsh West Indian Guyanese and African (mainly Nigeria): from the Biblical Hebrew personal name Aharon (which was Latinized as Aaron) borne by the first high priest of the Israelites the brother of Moses (Exodus 4:14). Like Moses it is probably of Egyptian origin with a meaning no longer recoverable. In England and Wales the name comes from the occasional adoption of Aaron as a Christian personal name. In south Wales for example where fixed surnames developed much later than in England it was coined independently as a surname in the 17th–19th centuries reflecting the enthusiasm for Old Testament personal names among Nonconformists.
Abel : 1: English German Dutch Danish Norwegian French Spanish and Polish; Slovak (mainly Ábel) and Czech (also Ábel): from the Biblical personal name Abel Slovak Ábel which was used in continental Europe from the sixth century. After the Norman Conquest it was introduced to England and Scotland where it had a brief currency in the 12th and 13th centuries before being revived in England after the Reformation. In the Book of Genesis Abel is a son of Adam murdered by his brother Cain (Genesis 4:1–8). In Christian tradition he is regarded as a representative of suffering innocence. The Hebrew form of the name is Hebel (Latinized as Abel) from a vocabulary word meaning ‘breath’.2: German: from the personal name Abel a pet form of Albrecht.
Abner : 1: English: from a Biblical personal name meaning in Hebrew ‘God is (my) light’ which was popular among the Puritans especially among early settlers in New England but also in the southern states. In the First and Second Books of Samuel Abner is Saul's uncle and the commander of his army who is eventually cut down by Joab (II Samuel 3:12–39). This surname is very rare in Britain.2: Probably also an Americanized form of German Ebner.
Absalom : English and Welsh (mainly southern): from the Old Testament Hebrew personal name Abshalom ‘father of peace’. In the Middle Ages this was occasionally used as a personal name in France from where it was introduced to England after the Norman Conquest. During the 17th century through the influence of the King James Bible and due to the popularity of the Biblical story of Absalom the adored but rebellious son of King David in the King James Bible (II Samuel 13-19) Absalom became the standard vernacular English form of the personal name and hence the source of this surname.
Ackary : from the Middle English personal name Acharias Achary a variant of the Biblical name Zacharias. The surname was sometimes pronounced Hackery and Eckery and occasionally altered to Hickery perhaps through association with hickory the name of fine hardwood that was imported to England from north America from the late 17th century onwards.
Agg : 1: perhaps from the Middle English personal name Agg(e) Hagg(e) (Old Scandinavian Aggi of uncertain origin) although this is more usually found in N and E England in counties settled by Vikings; see Hagg. Some of the bearers cited here may belong to (2). 2: of uncertain origin. Middle English hagg (Old Scandinavian hǫgg) ‘woodland set aside for cutting’ seems unlikely in SW England for the term is recorded only in northern counties (see Hagg). Old English haga ‘hedge enclosure’ normally becomes Middle English haw not hag and Old English *hagga ‘haw fruit of the hawthorn’ is unlikely to form a simplex place-name or locative surname though it might lie behind Hag Hill in Great Hinton (Wilts) recorded as Hagg Hill 1625 in Place-Names of Wilts p. 142. The loss of initial H- in Agg for Hagg is commonplace in SW dialects.
Ainslie : English and Scottish: habitational name from Ansley in Warwickshire or Annesley in Nottinghamshire (see Ansley and Ainsley). The modern surname is found mainly in the border regions of Scotland and northern England having been taken north from England to Scotland in the Middle Ages.
Airey : 1: Americanized form of German Erich or Ihrig. Compare Arey.2: English: habitational name from any of several minor places in northern England named with Old Norse eyrr ‘gravel bank’ + another element most often á ‘river’.
Alan : English and Scottish: variant of Allen. This is the usual form of the personal name in England and Scotland.
Albany : 1: Scottish and English: from the title of the Dukes of Albany (House of Stuart) hence a name borne by their retainers. Albany is from Albania the Latin name for Scotland (Gaelic Alba genitive Albainn). This is an infrequent surname in England and Scotland.2: English: variant of Dabney.
Albin : 1: English French and German: from the personal name Albin (from Latin Albinus a derivative of albus ‘white’). In England this is generally a variant of Alban. The usual spelling of the French name is Aubin. The personal name was especially popular in Austria Lombardy and Savoy where it absorbed the ancient Germanic name Albuin (which is composed of the elements alb ‘elf’ + win ‘friend’; compare Alvin). This was the name of the Lombard leader (died 572) who made himself king of northern Italy and also of various Christian saints including a bishop of Brixen (Bressanone) in South Tyrol.2: Galician (Albín): habitational name from any of the four places called Albín in Galicia (Spain) from Latin (villa) Albini.
Alderton : English: habitational name from any of a number of places called Alderton. Those in Suffolk and Shropshire (Alretuna in Domesday Book) are named with Old English alor + tūn meaning ‘the settlement by the alders’. Those in Gloucestershire Northamptonshire and Wiltshire are named with the Old English personal name Ealdhere meaning ‘settlement associated with Ealdhere’. The one in Essex contains a different personal name probably the woman's name Æthelwaru. In England the surname is most common in East Anglia making the places in Suffolk and Essex the most likely sources.
Alfred : English French German West Indian (mainly Haiti) and African (mainly Tanzania): from the Middle English personal name Alfred Elfred Old English Ælfrǣd ‘elf counsel’. This owed its popularity as a personal name in England to the fame of the West Saxon king Alfred the Great (849–899) who defeated the Danes keeping them out of Wessex and whose court was a great center of learning and culture.
Allan : Scottish and northern English: variant of Allen. This is the more common form of the name in Scotland and northern England. See also McAllen.
Allard : 1: English: from a Middle English personal name Alard Adelard Aylard or Elard. The former two names are usually of native English origin from Old English Æthelheard composed of the elements æthel ‘noble’ + heard ‘hard bold’. Alternatively the surname may be of continental origin from an ancient Germanic name (see 2 below) which developed in Old French to Alard and in Middle Dutch to Adelaert and Alaert. The continental names were used in post-Conquest England by Normans and Flemings. Later development of -ard to -ett and -att in surnames means that these personal names may also lie behind some examples of e.g. Allatt and Hallett.2: French: from the medieval personal name Alard from ancient Germanic Adelhard composed of the elements adal ‘noble’ + hard ‘hardy’. Compare Allar Allor Allord and Allore.
Allday : 1: English: in most cases probably from the Middle English female personal name Ald(i)eth Aldith Old English Ealdgȳth. Alternatively perhaps either from the rare Old English personal name Ætheldæg or from one of two ancient Germanic names Aildag and Adaldag imported to England from France by the Normans. The ultimate etymology in both cases is ancient Germanic adal ‘noble’ + dag ‘day’.2: Americanized form of German Aldag.
Allen : 1: English and Scottish: from the Middle English Old French personal name Alain Alein (Old Breton Alan) from a Celtic personal name of great antiquity and obscurity. In England the personal name is now usually spelled Alan the surname Allen; in Scotland the surname is more often Allan. From 1139 it was common in Scotland where the surname also derives from Gaelic Ailéne Ailín from ail ‘rock’. The present-day frequency of the surname Allen in England and Ireland is partly accounted for by the popularity of the personal name among Breton followers of William the Conqueror by whom it was imported first to Britain and then to Ireland. Saint Alan(us) was a 5th-century bishop of Quimper who was a cult figure in medieval Brittany. Another Saint Al(l)an was a Cornish or Breton saint of the 6th century to whom a church in Cornwall is dedicated.2: English: occasionally perhaps from the rare Middle English femaje personal name Aline (Old French Adaline Aaline) a pet form of ancient Germanic names in Adal- especially Adalheidis (see Allis).3: French: variant of Allain a cognate of 1 above and in North America (also) an altered form of this.
Alleyne : English: variant of Allen. This is an old-fashioned spelling already established as a surname in England in Tudor times. Today this surname is found mainly in the West Indies especially Barbados.
Allgood : English: from the Middle English personal name Algot Algod. This may represent Old Danish Old Swedish Algot Algut but the name is not otherwise recorded in those parts of England settled by Danes and Swedes before the Norman Conquest. Alternatively it represents ancient Germanic Adalgot Algot Middle Dutch Aelgoet which may have been used by Flemings in post-Conquest England. Compare Algood.
Allis : English: from the Middle English female personal name Alis Alice (Old French Adeliz Ahelis Aalis Aliz). Alice together with its pet form Alison was one of the most popular names in both England and Scotland from the 13th century until the end of the medieval period. The personal name is of ancient Germanic origin brought to England from France by the Normans; it is a shortened form of ancient Germanic Adalheidis which is composed of the elements adal ‘noble’ + haid ‘‘rank worth’’.
Amand : French and Walloon and in some cases possibly also English (of Norman origin) Dutch or Flemish: from the Old French personal name Amand Amant Latin amandus ‘suitable to be loved’ the name of a 5th-century bishop of Bordeaux and several other Christian saints. In England it was also used as a female personal name.
Amery : English (of Norman origin):: 1: from the ancient Germanic personal name Amalric composed of the elements Amal (a dynastic name among the Goths) + rīk ‘realm power’. The name was introduced into England from France by the Normans developing into the Middle English personal name Amery Emery (from Old French Amauri Emaurri).2: occasionally perhaps also from the Middle English Old French personal name Aimery ancient Germanic Haimeric from haim ‘home’+ rīc ‘power(ful)’. Compare Emery.
Ames : 1: English (of Norman origin): from the Old French personal name Amis or from the feminine form Amice. The Old French word amis is from Latin amicus ‘friend’ which was used in Late Latin as a term for a man of the lower classes in particular a slave. There were also derivatives of this as personal names in particular masculine Amicius and feminine Amicia. Both were in use as personal names in England and may have contributed to the surname.2: German: perhaps a nickname for an active person from an ancient Germanic word related to Old High German amazzig ‘busy’.3: Dutch: possibly a patronymic from Ame a common personal name in Holland and Friesland an abbreviated form of an ancient Germanic personal name perhaps beginning with amel ‘strong’.
Amias : 1: from Amiens (Somme in Picardy) the centre of the medieval trade in woad which made a blue dye used by dyers of wool cloth in English towns. In classical sources the place-name is recorded as Samarobriva Ambianorum a Celtic name meaning ‘the bridge over the river Somme’ plus the affix Ambianorum ‘of the Ambiani’ an ethnic name from Celtic ambi(o)- ‘around’ perhaps meaning ‘those on both sides (of the Somme)’ or possibly ‘the people of the world’. The affix in its ablative form Ambiānis has replaced the place-name which it once qualified and is the source of the current name Amiens. In England the name generally appears as Amias as in ‘merchants of Amias’ 1326 in London Letter Books E. 2: from the Middle English personal name Amias a variant of Amis see Ames. Thomas Amyas (1521) of Wethersfield in Essex was no doubt of the same family as Robert Amys Amyse Amyce Ameys (1462–78 in The Essex Review 61). Some of the surname examples listed under (1) with no preposition could also belong here. The two surnames were easily confused.
Amory : 1: English (of Norman origin): variant of Emery a cognate of 3 below.2: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Daumeray in Maine-et-Loire France introduced to England by the Normans. The initial D- was often regarded as a preposition and the name wrongly divided as De Aumari. This false preposition was later lost hence Amori Amory. The name was probably then confused with Amery.3: French: from the Old French personal name Amauri from ancient Germanic Amalric composed of the elements Amal (a dynastic name among the Goths) + rīk ‘realm power’.
Amos : 1: English and Scottish: variant of Amis assimilated in spelling to the Biblical name (see 2 below). It occurs chiefly in southeastern England.2: Jewish German English Scottish and Welsh: from the Hebrew personal name Amos of uncertain origin in some traditions connected with the Hebrew verb amos ‘to carry’ and assigned the meaning ‘borne by God’. This was the name of a Biblical prophet of the 8th century BC whose oracles are recorded in the Book of Amos. This was one of the Biblical names taken up by Puritans and Nonconformists in the 16th–17th centuries too late to have had much influence on surname formationm in Britain except in Wales.
Amphlett : from the Middle English female personal name Amfelot(e). This is a pet form using the hypocoristic suffix -ot(e) of Old French Amphelise Anfelise which is recorded as a female personal name in England from the 12th to the 18th century and is perhaps derived from the Greek name Ampelia ‘vine’.
Andow : 1: in S England especially Somerset and Devon a variant of Dando without the prepositional D-. 2: variant of the Lancs name Aindow.
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.
Anstey : English: habitational name for one who lived by a path from any of the dozen places in England called Anstey or Ansty from Old English ānstiga a compound of ān ‘one’ + stīg ‘path’ denoting a narrow path. This surname is found principally in southern England and the West Country.
Answorth : 1: variant of the Lancs name Ainsworth as illustrated by Adami Answorth 1573 Thomas Ainsworth 1603 in IGI (Bolton Lancs). The name probably migrated to the London area and to SW England. With the early bearers cited below compare Samuel Ainsworth 1714 in IGI (Hemel Hempstead Herts); Nathaniel Ainsworth 1739 in IGI (Yatton Somerset); Ann Ainsworth 1792 in IGI (Bristol Gloucs). 2: variant of the WR Yorks name Hainsworth though some of the following early bearers could alternatively belong with (1).
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.
Apperley : English:: 1: habitational name from Apperley in Deerhurst (Gloucestershire) which derives from Old English apuldor ‘apple-tree’ + lēah ‘open woodland’.2: possibly also a habitational name from Apperley Bridge in Eccleshill (Yorkshire) or from Apperley Dene (Northumberland) but evidence for the surname in northern England is wanting.
Appleton : English: habitational name from any of the many places in all parts of England named Appleton from Old English æppeltūn ‘orchard’ (literally ‘apple enclosure’). Apples were particularly important in the Middle Ages as a food for survival through the winter.
Applewhite : English:: 1: variant of Hebblethwaite.2: variant of Applethwaite a habitational name from a place called Applethwaite from Old English æppel or Old Norse apaldr ‘apple tree’ + Old Norse thveit ‘meadow’. There are two such places in Cumbria. Applethwaite is also recorded as a surname from the 13th century in Suffolk England pointing to a lost placename there. The form Applewhite now found predominantly in Lincolnshire goes back to the 16th century in Suffolk.
April : 1: Americanized form (translation into English) of any of several European surnames meaning ‘April’ (Latin aprilis) for example Italian Aprile German Abrell and Aprill (see 2 below) Polish Kwiecień (see Kwiecien). There were several possible connections between the month and the surname; for example it may have been applied to someone who rendered homage or paid rent to an overlord in April or as a personal name bestowed on a child born in April.2: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German abrille German April ‘April’ (see 1 above). This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine). As a Jewish name it is artificial.3: English: from Middle English April the name of the month. Compare Averill. There is no evidence for the use of April as a personal name before the 19th century. April is found in England as a surname from the 13th and 14th centuries onward but it is unknown if the medieval surname survived into modern times.
Arches : 1: from Arques-la-Bataille in Offranville (Seine-Maritime) which is recorded as (de) Archis in 1024 or possibly in some cases from Pont-de-l'Arche (Eure) recorded as Archas in the 11th century. These place-names derive from Latin arca ‘arch bridge’ (Old French arche northern Norman and Picard Old French arque). Arques in Pas-de-Calais has also been suggested as a possible source of some of the Norman family names but there is no evidence of it being pronounced as Arches the regular form of the surname in England. It is recorded as Arkae in the 7th century and Ariaco in the 9th century and may derive from Celtic *Ariācon ‘territory of a man called Arios’. Arches was sometimes reduced to Arch and the variant form Darches with fused preposition as in Simon Darches alias de Arches 1316-17 in TNA (Bucks) may have been reduced to Darch. 2: possibly a variant of Arch with post-medieval excrescent -s but Arch itself may b a reduced form of the name in (1).
Arledge : English: variant of Aldrich or Aldridge. A few bearers of the name are recorded in southern England in the 17th–19th centuries but the name appears to have died out in Britain.
Arlott : 1: from Old French herlot harlot arlot ‘rascal scoundrel vagrant’ hence Middle English harlot harlet herlot ‘vagabond beggar idle rogue’. It was used by Chaucer both as a term of derision (‘ye false harlot’) and also ironically for a good fellow (‘he was a gentil harlot and a kynde’). In the 14th century it came to denote also an itinerant jester buffoon or juggler also a male servant attendant or menial. The sense ‘female prostitute’ is not recorded before the 15th century so Muriel Arlot and Matilda le Harlot probably bear their husbands' surnames.possibly from the Old French personal name Arlot a pet form of Arlaud a French version of the Continental Germanic personal name Arlwald (of which the second element is *wald- ‘rule’). However there is no certain evidence that this personal name was ever used in medieval England. 2: see Arlett.
Armand : French West Indian (mainly Haiti) and Mauritian: from the French personal name Armand from ancient Germanic Hardman or Hariman composed of the elements hard ‘hard strong’ or hari ‘army’ and man ‘man’ (see Hermann). This surname is also found in England where it is of Huguenot origin. Compare Arman Arment and Armond.
Arundel : English:: 1: (of Norman origin): nickname from Old French arondel ‘little swallow’ (a diminutive of arond ‘swallow’ from Latin hirundo).2: habitational name from a place so named in West Sussex from Old English hārhūne ‘horehound’ (a wild plant Marrubium vulgare) + dell ‘valley’. This place is the seat of the dukes of Norfolk. In northern England folk etymology resulted in variants such as Arendale.
Ash : 1: English: from Middle English asche ‘ash tree’ (Old English æsc) hence a topographic name for someone living by an ash tree or a habitational name from any of the many places in southern and central England named with this word (Derbyshire Dorset Hampshire Herefordshire Kent Surrey Shropshire Somerset and elsewhere).2: Americanized form of German Asch and Esch the latter ultimately also of Swiss German origin (see Oesch).3: Americanized form (translation into English) of French Dufresne with the same meaning as 1 above.4: Jewish (Ashkenazic): from an acronym for Yiddish AltSHul (see Altschul) or AyznSHtot (see Eisenstadt).
Ashby : English: habitational name from any of numerous places in northern and eastern England called Ashby from Old Norse askr ‘ash’ (or in one instance possibly from the Old Norse personal name Aski) + bȳ ‘farm’.
Ashkettle : from the Middle English personal name Asketill (Old Scandinavian Ásketill a compound of áss ‘(pagan) god’ + ketill ‘kettle cauldron helmet’). In pre-Conquest England it was probably mainly current in E Anglia. Compare Axtell Askell and Anketell all from other versions of the same personal name. Ash- is a post-medieval dialectal development. Ashkettle was once common in Suffolk but is absent there in the 1881 census apart from the now extinct variant Ashkittle.
Ashley : 1: English: habitational name from any of numerous places (especially in southern and central England) named Ashley from Old English æsc ‘ash’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’.2: Americanized form of French Canadian Asselin 2.3: In some cases also an Americanized form of German Eschler.
Ashurst : English (Lancashire): habitational name from any of various places called Ashurst from Old English æsc ‘ash tree’ + hyrst ‘wooded hill'. The most significant of these places are in Kent and West Sussex but in England the surname is now found chiefly in south Lancashire where it probably derives from Ashurst Beacon and Ashurst Hall near Wigan.
Askell : 1: from the Middle English personal name Askell Old Scandinavian Áskell a shortened form of Ásketill (see Ashkettle and Axtell). The personal name was also popular among the Normans as Asketill and Anskell (with Continental Germanic Ans- substituted for As-) which explains why the names occur in post-Conquest England in counties not settled by Vikings. Its appearance as a surname is often disguised by altered pronunciations. Metathesis of /sk/ to /ks/ spelled -x- has given rise to Axcell and Axtell while the addition of a prosthetic H- has produced Haskell and Haxell. The Normans frequently used the name in Frankish forms; see Anketell Askin Haskin Antin Hastie Astin and Astill. For the name in the Isle of Man see Castell. 2: reduced form of McAskill which is based on the same Scandinavian personal name as in (1).
Askew : English (northern): habitational name from a place in North Yorkshire named Aiskew from Old Norse eik ‘oak’ + skógr ‘wood’ or possibly from another minor place in northern England likewise named with the same elements such as Aiskew in Marrick (North Yorkshire) or the lost Aykescof in Preese (Lancashire). This surname is also very common among African Americans. Compare Ayscue Esco Eskew and Haskew.
Asser : from the Middle English personal name Asser Atser (Old Scandinavian Qzurr Azur probably from Common Scandinavian *AntswaruR ‘answerer’) also in use among Normans in Normandy which may explain its occurrence in post-Conquest England outside the former Danelaw counties.
Astley : English: habitational name from any of several places in England called Astley (in Lancashire Shropshire Warwickshire Worcestershire and Yorkshire) from Old English ēast ‘east’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’. The modern surname seems to be particularly associated with the one in Warwickshire. See also Astle.
Aston : English:: 1: from the Middle English personal name Ad(e)stan which is usually from Old English Æthelstān (see Alston). It may also be from the much rarer Old English name Ēadstān.2: habitational name from any of several places in England called Aston. Most were named with Old English ēast ‘east’ + tūn ‘settlement’. In a few cases the first element is æsc ‘ash tree’.3: topographic name from Middle English atte stone ‘(dweller) by the stone’.
Aungiers : from Angers in Maine-et-Loire France. This name is also found in medieval England without the final -s; see Ainger and Danger for early bearers especially in Wilts and perhaps in N England.variant of Ainger with post-medieval excrescent -s. Compare William Anger 1805 in IGI (Haddenham Cambs) and Richard Anger 1815 in IGI (Graveley Cambs) with the 1792 and 1733 bearers below.
Austen : 1: English: variant of Austin associated chiefly with southeastern England especially Kent.2: German: from a shortened form of the personal name Augustin.
Austin : 1: English French and German: from the personal name Austin from Latin Augustinus a derivative of Augustus (see Augustin). This was an extremely common personal name in every part of Western Europe during the Middle Ages owing its popularity chiefly to Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430) whose influence on Christianity is generally considered to be second only to that of Saint Paul. Various religious orders came to be formed following rules named in his honor including the ‘Austin canons’ established in the 11th century and the ‘Austin friars’ a mendicant order dating from the 13th century. The popularity of the personal name in England was further increased by the fact that it was borne by Saint Augustine of Canterbury (died c. 605) an Italian Benedictine monk known as ‘the Apostle of the English’ who brought Christianity to southern England in 597 and founded the see of Canterbury.2: English: variant of Aspden with which this surname became confused.
Avery : 1: English: from the Middle English and Anglo-Norman French personal name Aevery a Norman form of Alfred. Among the 17th-century Puritan settlers in New England there was some confusion with Averill. Compare Averett.2: Altered form of French Canadian Hévey (see Hevey). Compare Avey 3.
Avon : 1: English: habitational name from Avon (Wiltshire) or Little or Middle Avon (Gloucestershire) both named from the river on which they stand or possibly a habitational name from a settlement on one of the rivers or small streams called Avon or Aven. These river names derive from the Celtic word for ‘river’ as reflected in Welsh afon and Gaelic abhainn. The modern surname is concentrated in Somerset and Wiltshire England suggesting it is associated chiefly with the Avon river that rises on the Gloucester-Wiltshire border and flows through Wiltshire and Somerset into the Severn.2: English: from the Middle English female personal name Avine which is probably a pet form of Avis.3: French: habitational name from Avon the name of two places in Aube and Seine-et-Marne.4: French: from the Latin personal name Abundus from the adjective abundus ‘abundant’ favored by early Christians because it was expressing a desire to excel in the love of God.
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.
Axcell : 1: variant spelling of Axtell (1) which appears to derive from a Middle English occupational nickname Hacksalt denoting a dealer in salt. 2: variant spelling of Axtell (2) which derives from an Old Scandinavian personal name brought into England by the Normans.
Axtell : English:: 1: from the Middle English personal name Asketill from Old Norse Ásketill composed of the elements áss ‘god’ + ketill ‘sacrificial cauldron helmet’ (see also Haskell). This name was in use both among Scandinavian settlers in eastern England (esp. Norfolk) and among the Normans.2: nickname for a salt merchant or seller of salt from Middle English hakke-salt ‘chop salt (into pieces)’. The development of the surname to Axtel is evidenced in 16th-century Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
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.
Babot : 1: from the unrecorded Old French and Middle English personal names *Babet and *Babot. In England they were probably mainly rhyming pet forms of Abbe; see Babb (1). In France they were probably pet forms of Barbara (see Barbary) and may have been interchangeable with Barbet and Barbot. 2: variant of Bobbett with unrounding of the vowel.
Badge : 1: see Bage. 2: possibly a variant of Budge especially in SW England.
Bagent : English:: 1: possibly a colloquial pronunciation of Beauchamp or Beecham. Old French Beau- often appears as Be(e)- in English surnames. The -ch- has been voiced and excrescent -t has been added.2: perhaps an Anglicized form of a French or Flemish surname such as Beaujean and Bejean from Old French bel Jehan ‘handsome John’ + excrescent -t. It could have been introduced to England in the 15th or 16th century by Flemish migrants.
Baigent : possibly a colloquial pronunciation of Beauchamp or Beecham. Old French Beau- often appears as Be(e)- Bea- and Bay- in English surnames. The -ch- has been voiced and an excrescent -t has been added. Compare John Beauchamp 1700 Mary Baigeant 1784 in IGI (Chobham Surrey); Aaron Baigent 1703 Sarah Beecham 1738 in IGI (Guildford Surrey); Samuel Beecham 1725 John Baijent 1772 in IGI (Gillingham Kent).perhaps the French name Beaujean Flemish Beaujan(t) Bejean from Old French bel Jehan ‘handsome John’ + excrescent -t. It could have been introduced to England in the 15th or 16th century by Flemish migrants.
Baillie : Scottish:: 1: from Older Scots baillie baili. In Scotland a baillie was a status name for any of various officials including the chief magistrate in a barony and (later) the chief magistrate or administrative officer of a barony or district. Etymologically this is the same word as English Bailey but the functions as well as the spelling of the two officials were different in England and Scotland.2: topographic name from Older Scots bailli ‘outer court of a castle’; see Bailey 3 and Bale 1.
Bald : 1: German: from the ancient Germanic personal name Baldo or a short form of various compound names such as Baldwin formed with the first element bald ‘bold strong’.2: Scottish and English: from the Norman personal name Bald(e) Baud(e) occasionally Bold a short form of the common ancient Germanic personal names Baldwin or Baldric or possibly a survival of Old English Beald (compare Balding); the relevant element in each of these is b(e)ald ‘brave’. As a hereditary surname it seems to have died out in England but survives in Scotland.3: English and Scottish: nickname for a bald man from Middle English ballede ‘ball-shaped’ (perhaps ‘corpulent’) from bal(le) ‘ball’ (Old English ball or Old Norse bǫllr).
Ball : 1: English: from Middle English bal ball(e) ‘ball sphere globe round body’ (Old French balle or Old English beall(a)) a nickname for a short obese person.2: English: topographic name for someone who lived on or by a knoll or rounded hill from the same Middle English word bal(le) as in 1 above but applied topographically.3: English: from a Middle English adjective ball (weak form balle) in the sense ‘bald’ from ball ‘white streak bald place’.4: English: from Balle an Old Norse personal name found in placenames in England. The Scandinavian name may be for ballr ‘dangerous’ in an older sense of ‘brave’ or bǫllr ‘ball’.5: South German: from Middle High German bal ‘ball’ possibly applied as a metonymic occupational name for a juggler or a habitational name from a place so named in the Rhine area.6: German: from a short form of any of various ancient Germanic personal names formed with the element bald (see Bald).7: Americanized form of Dutch Bal.
Bambridge : from a Middle English *bem-briğğe ‘tree-bridge’ i.e. one formed by a felled tree or made of wooden beams or from a place called this such as Beambridge in Worleston (Cheshire) which is recorded as le Bembrugg in 1302–6 and Beam Bridge and Dagenham Beam Bridge both in Dagenham (Essex) the latter being recorded in the 13th century as pontem voc. Dagenham Beem. Compare Beam Trowbridge Bamford and the place-names Thelbridge (Devon) Elbridge (Shrops).in NE England a variant of Bainbridge.in Ireland possibly from Banbridge Co Down.
Bamping : probably a variant of Pamplin with voicing of initial /p/ to /b/ reduction of /mpl/ to /mp/ and substitution of -ing for -in. For the loss of /l / compare Geo. Henry Pampin born in Hedingham (Essex) in Census 1851 (Welton and Melton ER Yorks) with Thomas Pamplin 1741 in IGI (Hedingham Sible Essex). For the voicing see Bambling which is another variant of Pamplin and compare Thomas Pamplin 1816 in IGI (Radcliffe Lancs) Irene Bamben 1819 in IGI (Wigan Lancs) and John Bambling 1862 in IGI (Royton Lancs). The surname has apparently migrated from SE England where Pamplin is recorded in earlier centuries.
Baney : 1: English (Norfolk and Essex): possibly a nickname from a Middle English adjective with the suffix -i derived from dialect bane ‘lithe nimble; clever’ (from Scandinavian beinn ‘straight’). The base-word bane is attested in East Anglia and northwestern England. Reaney's derivation from an unrecorded (northern) Middle English bani ‘bony’ is untenable.2: Americanized form of Swiss German Bähni or Bäni: from a pet form of the personal name Bernhard.3: French: derivative of Bane ‘hamper large basket’.
Banfield : 1: English and Irish (of Norman origin): habitational name from Banville in Calvados Normandy France. There has been some confusion between this surname and Bonfield. In Ireland this is a variant of Banville the original French form of the placename and now the usual spelling of the surname in Ireland; it is associated primarily with County Wexford.2: English: habitational name from one or more of the numerous places in England with similar names such as Bampfylde House in Poltimore Devon and Bamville Farm in Wheathampstead Hertfordshire. There may have been some confusion with Benfield.
Bannister : English (of Norman origin): from Old French banaste banastre ‘covering for a cart or wagon; basket’ i.e. a large wicker container. In the 12th century a Norman family of this name had estates in Orne Normandy and in England. Ricardus Banastre appears in charters relating to the Earls of Chester c. 1120–29. With what sense the Norman surname was acquired is unknown. It can hardly have been occupational contrary to Reaney's view that it denoted a basket maker. It is possible that many or even all of the later bearers of the surname were descended from this knightly family. However several men with this surname in the 14th-century Poll Tax Returns are described as servants or agricultural laborers while Ricardus Banastr' recorded in 1381 was a butcher. It is conceivable that these men took their name from Middle English banastre a borrowing of the French word and that it referred to a basket or hamper they used in their work. Alternatively they may have belonged to branches of the knightly family that had fallen in the social scale. The term denoting a stair rail is unconnected with this name; it was not used before the 17th century.
Bannock : perhaps from Middle English bannok ‘bannock’ (Old English bannuc) a form of home-made bread usually large round and unleavened. However the word appears to derive from Gaelic bannach and is associated with dialects of Northern England and Scotland so the occurrence of early bearers in Devon and East Anglia may suggest that a different explanation is required.
Baptiste : French and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from the personal name Baptiste derived from Latin Baptista ‘baptist’ the distinguishing epithet of Saint John the Baptist who baptized people including Jesus Christ in the river Jordan (Mark 1:9). The Latin name is from Greek baptistēs literally ‘one who washes’ (from baptisma ‘the act of washing’). For Christians baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin prior to admission to the Church. This surname is also found in England mainly as a surname of Huguenot origin. Compare Baptist Batiste and Battiste and also Portuguese and Spanish Baptista and Batista Italian Battista.
Barbet : in England and France from the Middle English and Old French female personal names Barbet(te) and Barbot(e) diminutives of Barbe from Barbara. See also Barbot.in France perhaps sometimes alternatively from a diminutive of Old French barbe ‘beard’ but evidence is lacking.
Baring : German and Dutch: habitational name from a farm so named which once belonged to a certain Baro and his kin. The ancient Germanic personal name Baro is from baro ‘man’. This surname is also established in England.
Barkett : English: perhaps a variant of Birkett or a habitational name from any of several places in England called Burcot(t).
Barner : 1: English: in southern England a habitational name for someone who lived by a barn from Middle English berner ‘dweller by the barn’. Elsewhere possibly a variant of Berner.2: Scottish: unexplained.3: North German: derivative of the ancient Germanic personal name Barnher or Bernher (see Berner 6).
Baron : 1: French English Dutch Polish Czech Romanian and Croatian; Breton (also Le Baron): from Old French barun baron Middle English barun baroun Middle Dutch baroen Polish Czech Romanian and dialectal Croatian baron ‘baron’ (i.e. a nobleman ranking below an earl and above a knight) a title of nobility which was in England also awarded to certain freemen of the cities of London and York and of the Cinque Ports. As a surname it is unlikely to be a status name denoting a person of rank. Generally it referred to service in a baronial household or was acquired as a nickname by a peasant who had ideas above his station or applied to a man showing characteristics of a nobleman. See also 3 and 4 below compare Barron and Lebaron.2: French: habitational name from (Le) Baron the name of several places in various parts of France. Compare Lebaron.3: German: status name for a freeman or baron from barūn ‘imperial or church official’ a loanword in Middle High German from Old French (see 1 above).4: Spanish (Barón): nickname from the title barón ‘baron’ applied as a nickname or as an occupational name for a member of the household of a baron (see 1 above); or from an old personal name of the same origin in the sense ‘free man’ (compare 3 above).5: Italian (Veneto): variant of Barone.6: Czech (also Baroň): from a pet form of the personal name Bartoloměj (see Bartholomew).7: Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Bearáin (see Barnes 3).8: Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): artificial name meaning ‘baron’ from German Polish or Russian (see 1 above). In Israel the surname is often interpreted by folk etymology as being from Bar-On ‘son of strength’.
Barzey : 1: from Bardsea (Lancs) or Bardsey (WR Yorks) with assimilation of /d/ before the sibilant as in Barsley for Bardsley. The Lancs name is recorded as Berretseige in 1086 and Berdeseia in 1155; Yorks name is recorded in 1086 as Berdesei. Both are probably composed of the Old English personal name Beornrǣd in the genitive singular (-es) reduced to Berdes- + Old English ēg ‘island island-like hill’. 2: reduced form of Bardsley (1) or its variant Beardsley. Compare George Beardsley 1567 in IGI (Lichfield Staffs) and Daniel Bardsley 1788 in IGI (Ashton under Lyne Lancs) with the 1581 and 1788 examples below. 3: in SW England a variant of Bardsley (2). 4: possibly from Barsey Farm (Shudy Camps Cambs) recorded as terram Willelmi de Berardeshey 1307–27 in Place-Names of Cambs. The place-name is from the Old English given name Beornheard in the genitive case with -es + (ge)hæg ‘enclosure’.alternatively from Barsey Walk Farm (near Horncastle Lincs) though early forms of this place-name are unavailable. Mumby and Hogsthorpe where the 1591 and 1621 examples are located are not far from Horncastle.
Basnett : English and Irish (of Norman origin): from Middle English bacinet (Norman French bassinet) ‘hemispherical helmet without a visor worn under the fighting helmet; also (later) a pointed helmet with a visor’ denoting someone who wore or made headgear of this kind. The name was prominent in Dublin throughout the 16th century but is now found mainly in Liverpool England.
Bateman : English: from the Middle English personal name Bateman Bat(te)man and in the West Midlands of England Batemon a pet form of Bate or Batte with the hypocoristic suffix -man.
Bayliss : English: variant of Bailiff with excrescent -s an occupational name for an officer of a court of justice whose duties included serving writs distraining goods and (formerly) arresting people. In England it was formerly a status name for the chief officer of a hundred (administrative subdivision of a county). The derivation is from Middle English Old French bailis from Late Latin baiulivus (adjective) ‘pertaining to an attendant or porter’ (see Bailey).
Beacher : 1: English: variant of Becher and in northern England probably a variant of Beardsall a habitational name from Buersill in Rochdale Lancashire.2: Americanized form of German (Bavaria) Bitscher which is unexplained or of some other like-sounding surname. The surname Bitscher is very rare in Germany.
Beadle : English:: 1: occupational name for a medieval court official from Middle English bedele (Old English bydel reinforced by Old French bedel). The word is of ancient Germanic origin and akin to Old English bēodan ‘to command’ and Old High German bodo ‘messenger’. In the Middle Ages a beadle in England and France was a junior official of a court of justice responsible for acting as an usher in a court carrying the mace in processions in front of a justice delivering official notices making proclamations (as a sort of town crier) and so on. By Shakespeare's day a beadle was a sort of village constable appointed by the parish to keep order.2: habitational name from Bedale in North Yorkshire so named from the Old English personal name Bēda + halh ‘nook of land’ or alternatively from one of the many minor places called Bedwell (for example in Essendon and Stevenage Hertfordshire) or Bidwell (for example in Titchmarsh Northamptonshire) with loss of w after a consonant being a common dialect development.
Beaglehole : unexplained. On the face of it possibly topographical from or related to dialectal bog(g)le-hole ‘hobgoblin's lair’ but this is a word of N England and Scotland. Beagle or baigle is common dialect for ‘scarecrow grotesquely dressed figure’ ‘troublesome person’ including in the south-west but the relevance of this in the name as a unit is unclear.
Beaston : English: variant of Beeston (the more common form of the surname in England) a habitational name from any of various places called Beeston.
Beaumont : English (of Norman origin) and French: habitational name from any of the five places in Normandy or several others elsewhere in France so named. The placename comes from Old French beu bel ‘fair lovely’ + mont ‘hill’. There are also places in England so named under Norman influence in Cumberland Lancashire and Essex the last of which changed its name in the 12th century from Fulepet ‘foul pit’ to Bealmont ‘beautiful hill’; these may also have given rise to the surname. The surname is now widespread throughout England but most common in Yorkshire. Compare Belmont.
Becconsall : from Becconsall in Croston (Lancs) which is recorded as Bekaneshou in 1208 and Bekaneshow in 1212. The place-name derives from the Old Scandinavian personal name Bekan (from Old Irish Beccán) + Old Scandinavian haugr ‘hill’. The surname in S England if not the result of migration may have a different origin but no convincing explanation has yet been proposed.
Beer : 1: English (West Country): habitational name from any of the forty or so places in southwestern England called Beer(e) or Bear(e). Most of these derive their names from the West Saxon dative case beara of Old English bearu ‘grove wood’ (the standard Old English dative bearwe being preserved in Barrow). In some cases the surname may be topographic in origin from atte beare ‘at the grove’. Some may be from Middle English bere ‘woodland swine-pasture’ (Old English bǣr). Compare Bear 1.2: English: variant of Bear 2 ‘bear’.3: North German and Dutch: from Middle Low German bāre Middle Dutch bēre ‘bear’ applied as a nickname for someone thought to resemble the animal in some way or as a metonymic occupational name for someone who kept a performing bear (compare 2 above). Alternatively it could have been a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a bear or from an ancient Germanic personal name with this as the first element. See also Baer Bahr.4: Germanized form of Sorbian Běr: from a short form of the Old Sorbian personal name Běrisław (based on the Old Slavic imperative beri ‘collect’).5: Americanized form (translation into English) of German or Jewish (Ashkenazic) Bier or possibly of some other similar (like-sounding) surname.
Beeson : English: variant of Beeston a habitational name from a place called Beeston. The spelling reflects the local pronunciation of the Nottinghamshire placename although this form is now quite widespread in England.
Beeston : English:: 1: habitational name from any of the many places in England so called. Those in Nottinghamshire Norfolk and Yorkshire were settlements where bent grass grew (Old English bēos ‘rough grass’ + Old English tūn ‘enclosure settlement’). In Bedfordshire it probably denoted a settlement on a bend (Old English byge + genitive singular -es + tūn). The hamlet stands on a marked bend of the river Yvel. In Cheshire it is named from a rock below which trading took place (Old English byge ‘commerce’ + Old English stān ‘stone’). The reference is to a prominent crag where the remains of Beeston Castle stand. Compare Beaston and Beeson.2: occasionally a topographic name for someone who lived in that part of a village known in Middle English as bi este toun ‘(place) at the east (end) of the village’.
Beharrell : apparently from French bihoreau ‘night heron’ (from earlier buhoreau) and given to someone with long legs. The surname Beharel is recorded in small numbers in the French départements of Nord and Pas-de-Calais around 1900. In England the name was sometimes assimilated to Barrel(l). Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames notes Francis Beharell Francis Barrel in the 1811 parish register of Drypool (ER Yorks).
Belflower : Probably an altered form of French Bellefleur (via the intermediate form Belflour). The surname Belflour was brought to the US from England but it is no longer found there. Compare Bellflower.
Benfield : English: habitational name from one or more of the numerous places in England called Benfield or Binfield which are named from Middle English bent ‘bent-grass’ + feld ‘open country’ or ‘land converted to arable use’ (Old English beonet + feld). See Benefield.
Bennett : 1: English: from the medieval personal name Benedict from Latin Benedictus ‘blessed’. In the 12th century the Latin form of the name is found in England alongside versions derived from the Old French form Beneit Benoit which was common among the Normans. The surname has also been established in Ireland since the 14th century.2: German: from a short form of the personal name Bernhard.3: Altered form of French Benet or Bennet or Binet and possibly also of some other similar (like-sounding) French surname. Altered ending reflects the Canadian and American French practice of sounding the final -t. Compare Bennet 3.
Berger : 1: German Dutch Swedish and Jewish (Ashkenazic): topographic name for someone who lived in the mountains or hills (see Berg). The surname of German origin is also found in many other European countries e.g. in France (Alsace and Lorraine) Russia Poland Czechia Hungary and Croatia and Slovenia often as a translation into German of corresponding Slavic topographic names or surnames. As a Jewish name it is mainly artificial. Compare Bargar Barger Barker Barrier and Barriger.2: French: occupational name from Old French bergier ‘shepherd’ (from Late Latin berbicarius from berbex ‘ram’). It is also found in England as a surname of Huguenot origin. Compare Shepard.3: Norwegian: habitational name from any of various farms so named with the plural of Berg ‘mountain’.4: French Canadian: shortened form of German Nürnberger (see Nurnberger).
Berkshire : English: habitational name from the county of Berkshire in central southern England. The placename is derived from a Celtic name meaning ‘hilly place’ + Old English scīr ‘shire’.
Berringer : 1: English (of Norman origin): from the Anglo-Norman French personal name Berenger an Old French form of ancient Germanic Beringar Barengar composed of the elements ber(n) ‘bear’ + gair ‘spear’. The surname has several variants including Beringer Barringer and Banger as well as the dissimilated forms Bellanger Bellinger Ballanger and Ballinger where /l/ has been substituted for /r/. The personal name Berenger was well known in England in the 12th and 13th centuries having been borne by one of the paladins in the widely popular Charlemagne romances.2: German: variant of Beringer.3: Americanized form of German Boehringer.
Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
FANBI : The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, ©2021, University of the West of England
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