Last names linked to LE~

Origin

Le : 1: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 樂 meaning ‘happiness’ in Chinese: from the first element of the personal name Le Fu (樂父) style name of Yan son of the Duke Dai of Song (ruler of the state of Song reigned 799–766 BC). Yan's grandson Le Ju (樂莒) inherited Le (樂) as his surname.2: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 勒: (i) from the second element of the placename Shu-Le (疏勒) an ancient state (located in present-day Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region) during the Western Han dynasty (206 BC–25 AD). (ii) a surname near the Bohai Sea region during the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). (iii) a surname traced back to the Hun ethnic group in northern China during the Jin dynasty (265–420 AD).3: Chinese: variant of Li.4: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 呂 possibly based on its Teochew pronunciation see Lu 6.5: Vietnamese (Lê): from the Chinese surname 黎 also the royal surname of the Lê Dynasty (usually referring to the Later Lê Dynasty 1428–1788 AD) see Li 2.6: Vietnamese (Lệ): from the Chinese surnames 厲 and 酈 see Li 5 and 6.

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

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.

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.

Ayer : 1: English and Scottish: from Middle English eir eyr ‘heir’ (Anglo-Norman French heyr Old French (h)eir Latin heres). Forms such as Richard le Heyer were frequent in Middle English denoting a man who was well known to be the heir to the main property in a particular locality either one who had already inherited or one with great expectations.2: English: from the Anglo-Norman French and Middle English personal name Aier (ancient Germanic Agihari).3: English: variant of Hair.

Bagshaw : English: habitational name from a place so named in Chapel en le Frith in Derbyshire. The first element of the placename is either the Old English personal name Bacga or an unattested Old English word bagga for a ‘bag-shaped’ object or creature; the second element is Old English sceaga ‘copse’.

Balaam : English:: 1: habitational name from Baylham (Suffolk) The form of the surname has been assimilated by folk etymology to the Biblical personal name Balaam (Numbers 23–24). The placename is actually from Old English bēgel ‘bend’ + hamm ‘land in a river-bend riverside meadow’ or hām ‘estate’.2: (of Norman origin): habitational name from Ballon in Le Mans (Sarthe France.) The Norman family called de Ballon had lands and interests in south Wales Cornwall Gloucestershire Oxfordshire and Surrey.

Ballam : English (Dorset): variant of Balaam (assimilated by folk etymology to the Biblical personal name Balaam see Numbers 23–24) which is a habitational name from Baylham in Suffolk or a Norman surname derived from Ballon in Le Mans Sarthe France (compare Ballon). The surname may also be a variant of English Balham perhaps from Balham in Streatham Surrey named with Old English bealg ‘smooth’ or ‘round’ + hamm ‘water meadow land hemmed in by water’.

Bamber : English:: 1: habitational name from Bamber Bridge in Walton le Dale Lancashire probably named with Old English bēam ‘tree trunk beam’ + brycg ‘bridge’.2: habitational name from Baumber in Lincolnshire named with the Old English personal name Badda + burh ‘fortified place’.3: variant of Bambrough.

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.

Bance : 1: apparently from Baons-le-Comte (Seine-Maritime). In the case of the early bearer William le Bans 1334 cited below either le is an error for de or a different explanation is required. 2: variant of Bant with post-medieval excrescent -s. 3: see Bunce.

Baquet : French:: 1: from a derivative of bac ‘tub’ also ‘ferry’ used as a metonymic occupational name for a maker or for a boatman.2: habitational name from Le Baquet the name of several places in various parts of France.

Barnaby : English:: 1: from the Middle English vernacular form of the Greek and Latin personal name Barnabas which was borne by the companion of St. Paul (Acts 4:36). This is of Aramaic origin from Aramaic bar naḅyā ‘son of the prophet’ although the Greek text of Acts 4:36 explains the name as hyios paraklēseōs ‘son of consolation’ or ‘encouragement’.2: habitational name from any of the four places: Barnaby in North Yorkshire Barnetby le Wold or Barnoldby le Beck (both in Lincolnshire) or Barnby in Suffolk. Barnaby in North Yorkshire is named with the Old English personal name Beornwald (composed of the elements beorn ‘young warrior’ + wald ‘rule’) + Old Norse bȳ ‘settlement farmstead’. Barnby in Suffolk is named with Old Norse barn ‘child offspring’ + bȳ meaning ‘children's farm’ perhaps for an estate divided by heirs.

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’.

Bastiman : perhaps an altered form with voicing of the initial consonant of Middle English pasteman ‘one who makes and sells pastry’ or pastiman ‘one who sells pasties or meat pies’ attested in Galfrido le Pasteman 1290-1 in Norwich Leet Jurisdiction (Norfolk) and Ricardus Pastyman' 1379 in Poll Tax (Bilton with Syningthwaite WR Yorks). Compare Johanne le Pastemakere 1288-9 in Norwich Leet Jurisdiction (Norfolk) Gregory le Pastemakere 1311 in London Letter Books D and John le Pastmaker (also called le Pasteymonger) 1322 in Patent Rolls (Cambridge Cambs).

Batt : 1: English: from the Middle English personal name Bat(te) probably a pet form of Middle English Bartelmew (see Bartholomew) or perhaps the rarer Bartram (see Bertram).2: English: probably in many cases a variant of Back 2 ‘bat’ (the winged animal) applied as a nickname. The alteration of Middle English bakke to bat is not on record before 1580 but the frequency with which le Bat occurs in medieval documents suggests that this is a likely source of the name. Alternatively it may be from Middle English bat(te) (Old English batt) ‘cudgel club bat’ perhaps for someone of stout appearance or for one who wielded a bat.3: English: topographic name of uncertain meaning. That it is a topographic name seems clear from examples such as Walter atte Batte (Somerset 1327) but the meaning of the term is in doubt although it is found in medieval field names.4: German: from a medieval personal name (from Latin Beatus ‘blessed’) bestowed in honor of the apostle who was reputed to have brought Christianity to Switzerland and southern Germany.

Beautyman : from Le Boutimont (Pas-de-Calais) or Boutement (Calvados). The origin of the place-name has not been established.

Beguin : French (also Béguin):: 1: from a diminutive of the ancient Germanic personal name Bego a short form of compound names based on the element beg from Latin beccus ‘beak bill’.2: nickname from beguin the name for a member of a medieval Christian male religious community (ultimately named after a priest called Lambert le Begue; see Begue) that followed a monastic rule without making perpetual vows and was quickly considered heretic; by extension the term came to mean ‘sanctimonious person’.

Bicket : Scottish (of Norman origin): habitational name from any of the places called Bequet Bechet or Le Becquet in Oise France. This form of the surname is most common in Ayrshire. Compare Bickett.

Bickett : 1: English and Scottish (of Norman origin): habitational name from Bequet Bechet or Le Becquet in Oise France. This form of the surname is most common in Lancashire. Compare Bicket.2: Possibly an Americanized form of German Bickhart.

Birkwood : from Birkwood Hall in Mareham le Fen (Lincs) which is recorded as Birchewud' in 1199–1216 and Birkewude in 1210. The place-name derives from Old English birce ‘birch’ + wudu ‘wood’ though birce was replaced by the cognate Old Scandinavian birki.

Birtley : from any of several places called Birtley such as Birtley in Chester le Street (Durham) and Birtley in Ticklerton (Shrops). Such place-names are generally from Old English beorht ‘bright’ + lēah ‘clearing’.

Blake : 1: English and Scottish (England and central Scotland): variant of Black 1 meaning ‘swarthy’ or ‘dark-haired’ from a byform of the Old English adjective blæc blac ‘black’ with change of vowel length.2: English: nickname from Middle English blak(e) (Old English blāc) ‘wan pale white fair’. In Middle English the two words blac and blāc with opposite meanings fell together as Middle English blake. In the absence of independent evidence as to whether the person referred to was dark or fair it is now impossible to tell which sense was originally meant.3: English (Norfolk): nickname from Middle English bleik blaik> blek(e) (Old Norse bleikr) ‘pale or sallow’ (in complexion).4: Irish: Anglicized form of Ó Bláthmhaic ‘descendant of Bláthmhac’ a personal name from bláth ‘flower blossom’ (also meaning ‘fame or prosperity’) + mac ‘son’. In some instances however the Irish name is derived from Old English blæc ‘dark swarthy’ as in 1 above. Many bearers are descended from Richard Caddell nicknamed le blac sheriff of Connacht in the early 14th century. The English surname has been Gaelicized as de Bláca.

Blakely : 1: English and Scottish: habitational name from Blackley north of Manchester in Lancashire or possibly in some instances from Blackley in Yorkshire from apparently a compound of Old English blæc + lēah ‘black clearing’. Some forms suggest the name may be derived from an unrecorded place in Bury or Prestwich called Blakelaw ‘black hill’ (Old English blæc ‘black’ + hlāw ‘hill’) or that Blackley was also known as Blakelaw. Confusion between -law and -ley is not uncommon. The surname was confused with (and may also be a source of) Blakey.2: English: habitational name from Blakeley Hall in Witton le Wear (County Durham) from Old English blæc ‘black’ + hlāw ‘hill’.3: English: habitational name probably from Blakeley in Staffordshire with the same etymology as 1 and 2 above.

Bocage : French: topographic name from bocage ‘copse’ or a habitational name from Le Bocage the name of several places in the north and west of France of the same etymology. Compare Beaucage.

Bono : 1: Italian: from the personal name Bono meaning ‘good’ from the Latin name Bonus which was borne by a minor 3rd-century Christian saint martyred at Rome with eleven companions under the Emperor Vespasian. It was adopted as a personal name partly in his honor and partly because of the transparently well-omened meaning.2: Italian: nickname from bono ‘good’ (from Latin bonus).3: Catalan and Spanish: probably of Italian origin (see above).4: Hungarian (Bonó): from a pet form of the personal name Bonifác (see Boniface).5: French (southeastern): of Italian origin (see above).6: Breton (also Le Bono): habitational name from Le Bono a place in Morbihan Brittany (France).7: Altered form of French Bonneau.

Borne : 1: French: variant of Borgne a nickname for a cross-eyed or one-eyed man from Old French borgne ‘one-eyed’.2: French (southern): topographic name for someone who lived by a spring or stream from Occitan borna ‘spring’ a word of Celtic origin originally denoting a natural cavity.3: Shortened form of French Leborne or Breton Le Borne variants of 1 above formed with the French masculine definite article le (compare Leborgne).4: English: variant of Bourne.5: In some cases perhaps also an American shortened form of Dutch Van den Borne: habitational name for someone from Born in the province of Limburg (Netherlands) or from a place associated with the watercourse of the Borre river in French Flanders.

Bosarge : Altered form of French Bouzage itself a variant of Bousage: probably a habitational name from Le Boussage a place in Deux-Sèvres. Both surnames Bouzage and Bousage are very rare in France; they are found in Charente and Haute-Vienne.

Bottom : 1: English (northern): topographic name for someone who lived in a dell hollow or valley floor from Middle English bot(h)me Old English botm ‘valley bottom’. Compare Botham.2: Americanized form (mistranslation into English) of French Lafond in which Old French la fond ‘the fountain’ is confused with modern French le fond ‘the bottom’.

Bouder : 1: Altered form of German Bauder.2: Breton (mainly Le Bouder): derivative of boudal ‘to blow a horn’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a herald or of the root boud ‘buzzing humming’ hence perhaps a nickname for an annoying person.

Bour : 1: French (mainly Lorraine also Nord): from German Bauer or Baur and probably also from Flemish Boer.2: English: variant of Bower.3: In some cases possibly also Breton (mainly Le Bour): nickname for a corpulent man from Old Breton borr ‘corpulent fat’.

Bournival : French: habitational name from Le Bournival a place in Seine-Maritime or from Bornival a place in Nord. This surname is no longer found in France.

Bras : 1: Dutch: from Middle Dutch bras ‘arm’. This was probably a descriptive nickname for someone with some peculiarity of the arm but the word was also used as a measure of length and may also have denoted a surveyor (compare 3 below).2: Spanish; Portuguese (Brás): from a vernacular form of the personal name Blasius popularized through the cult of the 4th-century Christian martyr. Compare Portuguese Braz.3: French: from Old French bras ‘arm’ a term used as a measure of length hence a metonymic occupational name for a surveyor.4: Breton (mainly Le Bras): nickname for a corpulent man from bras ‘big’.5: Polish (Braś): unexplained.

Brear : 1: from Middle English (atte) bre(i)r ‘(at the) prickly or thorny plant’ for someone who lived by such plants such as brier (the dog rose) or bramble. Compare Briers.from the word in (i) perhaps alluding to a sharp-tongued person. This seems to be implied by the Middle English surname Le Brer but this could be short for atte brer ‘at the briar’ with scribal substitution of French le for English the. 2: reduced form of Brearey. Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames cites Jonathon and Sarah Breary or Breare 1691–1704 in Parish Registers (Silsden Kildwick WR Yorks) and Miles Brearah or Brear 1757–62 in Parish Registers (Rothwell WR Yorks).

Breard : 2: Altered form (Bréard) of Breillard: habitational name from Le Breillard a place in Loire-Atlantique. The surname Breillard is very rare in France.1: French (Bréard): metathesized form of Bérard (see Berard).

Brehaut : Breton and French (Bréhaut); Channel Islands: probably an altered form of Breton Berhaut which is from a personal name composed of Old Breton berth ‘handsome bright’ + gualt ‘hair’ or perhaps a habitational name from Berhet in Côtes-d'Armor Brittany with local reinterpretation of the final syllable as haut ‘high’. Alternatively the Breton name Bréhaut may be a habitational name from Le Bréhaut in Côtes-d'Armor. As a French name found mainly in Aisne and Seine-et-Marne Bréhaut is probably also of different non-Breton origin. Compare Burhoe.

Briand : Breton (rarely Le Briand): from Old Breton brient ‘privilege prerogative’ (a derivative of bri ‘dignity consideration’) used as a medieval personal name and as a nickname (possibly for a pretentious individual). Compare Briant Brien Breen Brillant and Pontbriand.

Broatch : 1: from Broats in Kirkpatrick-Fleming (Dumfriess). The place-name may be directly or indirectly from an English plural form of Old Norse broti ‘broken land cleared land’ . 2: from Middle English bro(u)che ‘pointed weapon or instrument; clasp brooch pin’ perhaps for one who made or sold such items. Compare Ralph Brocher 1222 in Feet of Fines (Suffolk); John Brocher Roger le Brochere 1281 in London Letter Books B. Compare William Bruchemaker 1381 in Yorks Poll Tax and William ploghbrocher 1281 in Fransson (Lincs) probably a maker of ploughshares.

Brookfield : English (Lancashire): from Middle English brok (Old English brōc) ‘stream brook’ + feld ‘open country’ a habitational name from any of various minor places so named in particular Brookfield House in Nether Peover Cheshire recorded as le Brocfeld in the late 13th century. Alternatively the surname may be topographic for someone who lived by a piece of open land near a brook.

Brosseau : French: topographic name derived from Old French broce ‘thicket brushwood’ (from Late Latin bruscia) or a habitational name from Le Brosseau the name of several places in the northwestern part of France named from this word. Compare Brousseau.

Bru : 1: Catalan: from the Catalan personal name Bru equivalent to Bruno or a nickname from Catalan bru ‘dark (hair or skin)’ for someone of dark hair and skin.2: Norwegian: habitational name from a farmstead so named in western Norway from bru ‘bridge’.3: French: topographic name for someone who lived on moorland from Old Occitan bruc ‘heather heath’ or a habitational name from any of various minor places called with this word for example Bru in Lot or Le Bru in Cantal Corrèze and Dordogne.4: French: variant of Brun.5: French: relationship name from bru ‘daughter-in-law’.

Buck : 1: English: nickname from Middle English buc(ke) ‘male goat’ (Old English bucca) or a ‘male deer’ (Old English bucc). The goat was popularly associated with lecherous behaviour and the deer with timidity and speed. The surname may also be a shortened form of longer occupational names for example Roger le Bucmanger' ‘dealer in bucks or venison’ (Warwickshire 1221) or Walter Bucswayn perhaps ‘goatherd’ (Somerset 1327).2: English: topographic name for someone who lived near a prominent beech tree such as Peter atte Buk (Suffolk 1327) from Middle English buk ‘beech’ (from Old English bōc).3: German and Dutch (Limburg): from a personal name a short form of Burkhard (see Burkhart).4: North German and Danish: nickname for a fat man from Middle Low German būk ‘belly’. Compare Bauch.5: German and Dutch (Limburg): variant of Bock.6: German: variant of Puck in the sense ‘defiant spiteful’ or ‘stubborn’.7: German: topographic name from the field name Buck ‘hill’.8: Germanized form of Sorbian Buk: topographic name from buk ‘beech-tree’.

Buet : 1: from one of several villages or hamlets in Manche or Orne in Lower Normandy called (Le) Buat or perhaps Le Buet in Ille-et-Vilaine (Brittany). Some of the surnames given below may belong at (2). 2: see Boot. Some of the surnames given below may belong at (1)

Bujold : Altered form of French Bugeaud: habitational name from (Le) Bugeaud or Le Bugeau names of several places in the western part of France.

Buote : Altered form of French Buot or Buhot: habitational name from Le Buot or (Le) Buhot names of several places in the northwestern part of France.

Cam : 1: Vietnamese: from the Chinese surname 甘 see Gan 1.2: Vietnamese (Cầm): from the Chinese surname 琴 see Qin 2.3: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from Caen in Calvados France early recorded as Cadum and Cadomum (see Cain).4: English: habitational name from one of two places called Cam in Gloucestershire and Yorkshire.5: English: nickname from an unrecorded Middle English cam (perhaps from Welsh cam) ‘crooked bent’ also ‘perverse’. Compare Middle English cammed ‘pug-nosed curved’ probably a derivative of cam.6: Scottish: nickname from Gaelic cam ‘crooked; one-eyed cross-eyed’.7: Breton (mainly Finistère; also Le Cam): nickname for a lame man from cam kamm ‘lame’.

Cambre : 1: Altered form of German Kamper.2: French: metonymic occupational name denoting someone who worked in the private quarters of his master rather than the public halls of the manor from c(h)ambre ‘room’ or a habitational name from Le Cambre or La Cambre the names of a few places in the north of France. Compare Delcambre.

Campion : 1: English (of Norman origin) and French: variant of Champion from the Norman French form campion. A status name for a professional champion or an athlete such as a wrestler or boxer; the name also denoted a ‘warrior hired to do battle in single combat on behalf of others’ (compare Kemp).2: Breton (also Le Campion): cognate of French Champion of Old French origin.

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

Capell : 1: English: variant of Chappell ‘chapel’ from a Norman form with hard c- applied as a topographic or occupational name or as a habitational name for someone from any of several minor places called with this word such as Capel in Surrey Capel le Ferne in Kent or Capel Saint Andrew and Capel Saint Mary in Suffolk.2: English: from Middle English capel caple capul(le) ‘stallion gelding; warhorse cart horse riding horse’ denoting someone thought to resemble a horse in some way or possibly someone whose occupation involved horses.3: Catalan: from capell ‘hat hood’ as a nickname for someone who habitually wore a hat or hood or a metonymic occupational name for someone who made hats or hoods.

Casteel : 1: Altered form of mainly northern French Ducastel: topographic name with fused preposition and definite article du ‘from the’ from Picard castel Old French chastel ‘castle’ (see Castel 5 compare 2 below); or a habitational name for someone from any of several places called Le Castel. Compare [[[Castile]]].2: Dutch: from kasteel ‘castle’ hence a topographic name or a metonymic occupational name for someone who lived or worked in a castle.

Catellier : French: variant of Catelier (and in North America an altered form of this) a habitational name from Le Catelier the name of several places in Haute-Normandie.

Chable : 1: Amerindian (Mexico and Belize; Chablé): Mayan name a derivative of chab ‘anteater’.2: French: topographic name from Old French chaable ‘windfall’ or a habitational name from the placename Le Chable (Haute-Savoie).

Chafer : 1: from Old French chauffour ‘limekiln worker at a limekiln’. A native English equivalent is limbrenner as in William le Limbrenner ‘the lime burner’ 1305 in Fransson (Lincs). 2: possibly also a variant of Chaffer.

Chamness : English (London): habitational name for someone from Champagne from Anglo-Norman French le champeneis Middle English champenais champeney. The name was originally freely interchangeable with the synonymous Champion 2. This surname is now rare in Britain.

Champness : denoting someone from Champagne from Anglo-Norman French le champeneis Middle English champenais champeney. The name was originally freely interchangeable with the synonymous Champain and Champion.

Chaney : 1: English (of Norman origin): habitational name from any one of several places in Normandy Picardy or Artois (France) named (Le) Quesnay or Quesnoy or elsewhere in northern France named (Le or La) Chesnay or Chesnoy. The placenames all derive from Old French chesnai or its Normanno-Picard equivalent quesnai ‘oak grove’ (medieval Latin casnetum).2: French: variant of Chanet a habitational name from any of various places called Chanet or Le Chanet from Latin canna ‘reed’ + the suffix -etum denoting an inhabitant.

Chaucer : from Old French chaucier ‘maker of chausses’ an agent derivative of Old French chauces ‘breeches pantaloons hose’. In 1484 these were ‘chauces of yron or legge harneys’ (OED). Middle English chauce was a general term for anything worn on the feet: boots shoes hose or leggings. As Baldwin le Chaucer (1307 London Letter Books B) was of Cordwanerstrete the early chaucer was probably a worker in leather a maker of leather breeches boots etc.

Chausse : French:: 1: (Chaussé): from chaussé ‘shod’ the past participle of the verb chausser ‘to put (shoes) on’ designating in a rural area a person distinctive in wearing leggings (on Old French chausse; see 2 below) when bare legs were more common. Alternatively from Old French chaussier an agent derivative of chausse used as a nickname for a maker or seller of footwear or leggings. Compare Chaussee 1.2: from Old French chausse ‘footwear’ or ‘leggings’ (from Late Latin calcia for classical Latin calceus ‘sandal shoe’) hence a metonymic occupational name for a maker of shoes or leggings or a nickname for a wearer of distinctive ones. In medieval Europe the Late Latin term denoted boots shoes leggings leg armor gaiters hose breeches pantaloons and so on.3: habitational name from Le Chausse the name of several places in various parts of France e.g. in Haute-Loire Indre-et-Loire and Dordogne of the same etymology as Chaussee 2.

Chester : English: habitational name from Chester the county seat of Cheshire or from any of various smaller places called with this word (as for example Little Chester in Derbyshire Chester le Street in County Durham or Chesters in Northumberland) which is from Old English ceaster ‘Roman fort or walled city’ (from Latin castra ‘legionary camp’).

Cheverall : 1: from Great or Little Cheverell in Wilts. 2: from Middle English chevrelle Old French chevrele chevrelle ‘kid’ (before 1400 OED) but in Middle English always used in the sense of cheverel leather ‘kid leather’. The name may have been given to someone who wore kid leather or who sold articles made from it as in the case of the Londoner below whose different name forms prove that Cheverel was sometimes a reduced form of Chevereller ‘a maker or seller of kid-leather goods’. Compare Ralph le Cheverelmongere 1310 in London Letter Books B.

Christopher : English German West Indian (mainly Trinidad and Tobago Antigua and Barbuda and British Virgin Islands) and African (mainly Nigeria and Tanzania): from the English and German personal name Christopher from Greek Christophoros ‘Christ-bearing’ (see Christ 1). This was borne by a rather obscure 3rd-century Christian martyr. His name was relatively common among early Christians who desired to bear Jesus Christ metaphorically with them in their daily lives. Subsequently the name was explained by a folk etymology according to which the saint carried the infant Christ across a ford and so became the patron saint of travelers. Despite the widespread veneration and depiction of this saint this was not a very common personal name in medieval England and may in some instances have a habitational origin for someone living for example in Saint Christopher parish (Saint Christopher le Stocks London). In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed the German variant Christoffer and cognates from other languages e.g. Hungarian Kristóf and Czech Slovak Slovenian and Croatian Krištof (see Kristof). The usual German form of the name is Christoph.

Churchyard : for someone who lived by or looked after a churchyard from Middle English chirche- cherche- churche-yerd or -(y)ard (Old English *ciric- *cyric-geard). In a deed of 1408-9 (Birmingham Archives) the Dean and the Chapter of the Cathedral Church of Lichfield granted to John Chircheyerd of Arley a seventy-year lease of a plot of land called Le Chyrcheyerd opposite the cemetery of the parish church of Upper Arley Worcs.

Ciambrone : Italian (Calabria): habitational name from a minor place called Ciambrone Ciambron Ciambra or Le Ciambre from Old Italian ciambra ‘room’ probably indicating a guard post to control a territory.

Clench : from one or more of the various places with names deriving from Old English *clenc ‘lump mass; hill; elevated land in a fen’ such as Clinch Green in Northiam (Sussex) Clench in Milton Lilborne and Clinghill (recorded as le Clynche in 1409) in Bromham (both Wilts).

Clevett : of uncertain origin; perhaps from a local topographical expression or place-name whose Middle English form was *clif-yat ‘cliff gap or gate’ (i.e. one affording access to the shore). Both words are found in Sussex as in le Cliffe gate in Rottingdean in 1604 but no single place-name source has been identified.

Clouatre : Altered form (also Clouâtre) of French Cloitre or Cloître: topographic name from cloître ‘cloister’ or a habitational name from Le Cloître the name of several places in various parts of France named with this word.

Cockle : 1: from Middle English cokel (Old French coquille) ‘shell’ also ‘cockle’ the shellfish perhaps for a cockle gatherer or for someone who liked eating them. Compare Will. le Cokeler (alias) Will. le coclere 1281 in Fransson; William Cokeler 1332 in Subsidy Rolls (Gosberton Lincs); Johannes Cokkeler 1381 in Poll Tax (Moulton Lincs); Thomas Cokeler 1378 in TNA (Burnham Norton Norfolk). They lived near the Wash and were probably cockle merchants. Alternatively Cokel may have been a nickname for pilgrims to the shrine of Saint James of Compostella who sewed cockle shells on their clothes as a sign of their pilgrimage. Compare cockle hat (1834 OED) a hat with a cockle or scallop shell stuck into it worn for the same reason.perhaps from Middle English cok(k)el ‘(corn) cockle’ (Old English coccul coccel) a weed particularly common in cornfields. Weeding cornfields was a seasonal occupation however and was perhaps less likely than the word in (i) to have given rise to a hereditary surname. 2: in N England sometimes a variant of Cockhill.

Colas : 1: French West Indian (mainly Haiti) and Mauritian; Breton (rarely Le Colas); Spanish (Colás): from a short form of the personal name Nicolas Nicolás (see Nicolas and Nicholas). The surname of French and Breton origin was also brought to England by Huguenot refugees.2: English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): variant of Collis (see also Coles).

Collier : 1: English: from Middle English colier in most parts of the country ‘maker or seller of charcoal’ but in some areas (such as Bolton le Moors and Wigan Lancashire) where coal measures were near the surface ‘miner or seller of coal’ (in the modern sense ‘fossil fuel’). The name was taken to Ireland from England and was first recorded there in 1305. In Petty's ‘census’ of 1659 it was recorded as a principal surname in Meath.2: English: occupational name from Middle English coilour coliour culliour Old French coileor coillour ‘tax collector’. Surnames with this origin seem to have died out in Britain.3: French (northern): from collier ‘collar’ a metonymic occupational name for a maker of collars.

Columbine : 1: perhaps from the rare Middle English female personal name Columbin(e) (latinized as Columbina) derived from Old French Middle English columbine ‘dove-like’. It attested in Columbina wife of Osebert le Noreis who was owed services from Johannes de Abbetot in Saint Briavels (Gloucs) 1230 in Close Rolls.perhaps a variant of Collumbell altered by folk etymology through association with the plant name columbine (Middle English columbine colabyn early Modern English cullombine). Compare the Derbys Notts and Staffs examples of both names. 2: French Colombin from Old French colombin ‘dove-like’ which may also have been used as personal name; compare (1 i).French Colombin from the Old French personal name Colomban (altered to Colombin) from Latin Colombanus a derivative of colombus ‘dove’.

Cosse : 1: Probably an altered form of Breton Le Cossec: metonymic occupational name for a maker or user of spools derived from kos coss ‘reel spool’; or alternatively a nickname from a homonymous word meaning ‘weevil’. This predominantly LA surname (in this sense or perhaps in the sense 2 below) is also found among African Americans.2: French (Cossé): habitational name from Cossé-d'Anjou in Maine-et-Loire Cossé-en-Champagne or Cossé-le-Vivien in Mayenne all of which are named with the Gallo-Roman personal name Cocceius + the locative suffix -acum.3: French: from cosse ‘pod’ probably a nickname or perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a grower or seller of peas and similar vegetables. Compare Lacosse 2.4: Dutch and German: variant of Kosse.5: American (shortened and) altered form of an unidentified Greek surname most likely Costas or some other surname beginning with Cost-.

Cossette : Americanized form of French Cosset: habitational name from Le Cosset a place in Vendée or a nickname for a grower or seller of legumes (peas and beans) derived from cosse ‘pod’. Altered ending reflects the Canadian and American French practice of sounding the final -t.

Cote : 1: French (Côte Côté Coté): topographic name for someone who lived on a slope or riverbank less often on the coast from Old French coste (from Latin costa ‘rib side flank’ also used in a transferred topographic sense). There are several places in France named with this word and the surname may also be a habitational name from any of these. Compare Ducote.2: French (Côté): variant of Costé itself a variant of Coste and a cognate of 1 above as a habitational name perhaps from Le Costil the name of several places in Normandy. Compare Cody 3 Cota 5 Cotey and Coty 1.3: English: variant of Coate.

Coty : 1: Altered form of French Côté (see Cote 2).2: French: variant of Costy from Old Norman French costi ‘hill’.3: In some cases possibly also Breton (Finistère; also Le Coty): habitational name from a place called Coty in Brittany (France) from kozh ‘old’ + ti ‘house’. The Breton surname is very rare in France.

Covert : 1: English (Surrey of Norman origin): habitational name from the Norman hamlet of Couvert in Calvados or from some other locality similarly named from Old French (le) covert ‘the secret corner refuge or thicket’. Sussex surname forms with the definite article and no preposition are not nicknames from Old French covert ‘secret(ive)’ as has been suggested but are either references to ‘Le Covert’ as the place of origin or represent the common Norman practice of substituting le for de in surnames. This surname is now extinct in Britain.2: Americanized form of an unidentified Dutch or German name perhaps Kofoed or German Gobert.

Coz : 1: Spanish (mainly Cantabria): possibly a nickname from coz ‘kick’. Alternatively perhaps a habitational name from El Coz (Asturias).2: Breton (mainly Le Coz): nickname from kôz ‘old’.3: Slovenian (Čož): probably an unflattering nickname from a variant of archaic čuž ‘fool’.

Cranmer : English: habitational name from Cranmer Green in Walsham le Willows (Suffolk) and perhaps also from other places similarly named such as Cranmer Hall in Sculthorpe (Norfolk) Cranmore in Shalfleet (Isle of Wight) Cranmer Bottom in Selborne and Cranmore in Aldershot (both Hampshire) and East and West Cranmore (Somerset) all named from Old English cran ‘crane’ + mere ‘lake pool’ or mōr ‘moor marshy ground’. See also Cranmore with which there may have been some confusion.

Cron : 1: Scottish (Dumfriesshire and Cumberland): variant of Crone.2: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Kron and in North America (also) an altered form of this. The surname Cron is also found in France (Alsace).3: French (western): probably from crone a regional word denoting a water hole hence a nickname for someone who fishes in the water holes.4: French (northern): nickname for a hunchback from Old Picard cron ‘curved bent’.5: Breton (also Le Cron): nickname for a rotund man from kronn ‘round(ed)’.6: Americanized form of Swedish Kron.

Croose : 1: from Middle English crous(e) crus ‘bold fierce spirited’. The pronunciation of the name regularly developed from /kru:s/ or /kru:zə/ to /kraus/ or /krauz/ in Modern English spelled Crouse and Crowse but the process of phonetic change may sometimes have been incomplete or absent giving rise to variants spelled Crose Croose and Cruse and thus to confusion between this name and that in (2). Some bearers may alternatively belong at (2) including John le Crus (1332). 2: see Cruse.

Crozier : 1: English and Scottish: occupational name for one who carried a cross or a bishop's crook or pastoral staff in ecclesiastical processions from Middle English crosier (Old French crosier crocier crosser). It may also denoted a seller of crosses or as a topographic name a dweller by a cross (compare 2 below).2: French: topographic name for a dweller by a cross or crossroad an agent derivative of croix ‘cross’ (from Latin crux) or a habitational name from Le Crozier in Rhône-Alpes a placename of the same etymology.

Dalpe : Altered form (Dalpé) of French Delpé itself a variant of Delpey: habitational name with fused preposition de ‘from’ and article le denoting someone from Le Pey the name of several places in the southwestern part of France. The surname Delpé has apparently died out in France. Compare Delphia.

Daniel : 1: English French Spanish Portuguese German Polish Czech Slovak Romanian Jewish Assyrian/Chaldean West Indian (mainly Haiti) and African (mainly Nigeria and Tanzania); Breton (rarely Le Daniel); Hungarian (Dániel): from the Biblical personal name Daniel Syriac (Assyrian/Chaldean) Dānīʾēl Hungarian Dániel (from Hebrew Daniyyel ‘God is my judge’) borne by a major prophet in the Bible. The chief factor influencing the popularity of the personal name (and hence the frequency of the surname) was undoubtedly the dramatic story in the Book of Daniel recounting the prophet's steadfast adherence to his religious faith despite pressure and persecution from the Mesopotamian kings in whose court he served: Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar and Darius. The name was also borne by a 2nd-century Christian martyr and by a 9th-century hermit the legend of whose lives were popular among Christians during the Middle Ages. Among Orthodox Christians in Eastern Europe the name was also popular as being that of a 4th-century Persian martyr who was venerated in the Orthodox Church. In France this surname is most common in Brittany.2: Irish (Tipperary and Waterford): shortened form of McDaniel which is actually a variant of McDonnell from the Gaelic form of Irish Donal (equivalent to Scottish Donald) erroneously associated with the Biblical personal name Daniel. See also O'Donnell.3: Americanized or Germanized form of Slovenian Danijel: from the Biblical personal name Danijel ‘Daniel’ (see 1 above).

De Klerk : 1: Dutch: occupational name for a clerk or scribe Middle Dutch clerc from Late Latin clericus (see French Clerc) with the definite article de. This surname is also established in South Africa where it is reportedly (also) of French Huguenot origin (see 2 below). Compare De Clark and De Clerk.2: Altered form of French Le Clercq (see Leclerc and Leclercq) or of its Flemish variant De Clercq cognates of 1 above established in South Africa.

De Paor : gaelicized form of Power or earlier le Poer ‘the pauper’ probably as Woulfe says a name consequent on taking a vow of poverty. The Norman family came to Ireland with Strongbow in 1169 and were granted land in Waterford.

Debusk : Altered form of French Dubosc: variant of Dubos or a habitational name with fused preposition and definite article du ‘from the’ for someone from Le Bosc the name of several places in various parts of France.

Delcambre : French (mainly Nord): habitational name with fused preposition de ‘from’ denoting someone from Le Cambre or La Cambre the names of a few places in the north of France. Compare Cambre.

Delval : 1: French (Nord Pas-de-Calais Picardy) and Walloon: topographic name from French val ‘valley’ with fused preposition de ‘from’ and article le; or a habitational name for someone from Le Val names of several places in northern France and in Belgium (Wallonia).2: Spanish (Del Val): variant of Del Valle]]]. Compare [[[Val.

Delve : from Middle English delf delphe delve ‘pit quarry canal ditch’ denoting someone who lived by a pit quarry or excavation or in some instances a ditcher digger or quarrier (Middle English delver(er)); compare William le Deluer 1230 in Pipe Rolls (Somerset). Lettice atte Delue 1357 cited below is probably to be associated with John Delvere 1359 in Colchester Court Rolls (Essex).

Delwiche : Walloon: shortened form of De le Wi(t)che a habitational name for someone who lived in a house named Le Wi(t)che (‘The Wick’) from witche ‘wick’ possibly inhabited by a manufacturer of such items. This surname is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium mainly in Flemish Brabant.

Denson : English:: 1: patronymic meaning ‘son of the dean’ see Dean 2. Since medieval deans were celibate their sons would have to have been illegitimate but le Dene was probably also used as a non-clerical nickname so illegitimacy is not necessarily to be inferred.2: patronymic meaning ‘son of Deyne or Dene’ a pet form of Reynald (Reginald); see Dean 3.

Desert : French (Désert) and English (of Norman and French Huguenot origin): topographic name for someone who lived in a barren area a wilderness or wasteland Old French desert or a habitational name from any of several mimor places in France named Le Désert.

Devis : 1: from Devizes in Wilts recorded as Devys 1423 Device 1443–50 and Devizes alias le Devize 1618 in Place-Names of Wilts p. 243. See also Vyse. Some of the following post-medieval bearers may alternatively belong under (2) or (3). In London the name may also have been confused with Devaux. 2: see Dews. 3: see Dewis.

Deziel : Altered form (Déziel) of French Delguel: habitational name with fused preposition and definite article del ‘from the’ denoting someone from any of a few places called Le Guel in southwestern France.

Donnington : from Donington (Lincs Shrops) Donington on Bain (Lincs) Donington le Heath Castle Donington (Leics) or Donnington (Berks Gloucs Herefs Shrops).

Dorner : 1: German (also Dörner): habitational name for someone from any of the places called Dorn or Dornau in Bavaria or either of two places called Dorna in Saxony and Thuringia.2: German (also Dörner): northern variant of Turner an occupational name for a watchman someone who manned a tower. This surname is also found in France (Vosges Alsace and Lorraine). Compare Durner.3: Breton (also Le Dorner): occupational name for a thresher derived from dornañ ‘to beat to thresh’.

Douget : 1: Altered form of French Doguet: from a diminutive of dogue ‘mastiff’ possibly used as a nickname for a cantankerous individual.2: In some cases possibly also Breton (mainly Le Douget): nickname for a man of respect from the past participle of doujañ ‘to respect’.

Dowens : variant of Downes. Compare George Dowens 1611 George Downes 1614 in IGI (Witton le Wear Durham); Arthur Downs 1664 Arthur Downes 1667 George Dowens 1708 in IGI (Wem Shrops).

Drawer : from an agent derivative of Middle English drauen ‘to draw pull tug’ (Old English dragan) used to denote someone who draws in any of various senses; compare for example Roger le wirdragher ‘wire drawer’ 1313 in York Freemen's Register Richard le Pakkedrawere ‘(wool)pack carrier’ 1332 in Subsidy Rolls (London); Alan de Wifestow mukdragher ‘muck carter’ or possibly ‘scavenger’ 1340 in York Freemen's Register; Elias Wyndrawer ‘wine drawer’ 1373 in London Pleas; David Tothedrawer ‘tooth drawer’ 1422 in London Pleas.

Du Parcq : from a Channel Island form of Park with retained preposition.denoting someone from Parq (Pas-de-Calais) or Le Parc-d'Anxtot (Seine-Maritime) or from numerous minor places in N France especially Normandy identified with parq ‘enclosure for animals’.

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Geographic distribution of the 37,331,092 individuals with the name LE~ on Geneanet.

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