Origin
Spirit : 1: from Middle English spuret of uncertain origin. It might be a reduced form of Middle English Sporehard ‘spur hard’ no doubt for a horseman attested in the name of Galfr. Sporehard 1327 Galfr. Sporard 1332 in Subsidy Rolls (Brailes Warwicks). However there is no evidence for Sporehard in the records of N England and a reduction to Spuret to account for the 1287 bearer below would be surprisingly early. Perhaps the name represents an unrecorded Middle English *spuret ‘little spur’. The change to Spirit by folk etymology is recorded by Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames noting that Joshua Spurritt of Holbeck is likely to be identical with Joshua Spirit or Spright of Holbeck 1753–61 in Parish Registers (Leeds). 2: perhaps from Middle English *Spirhard a Norman French borrowing of an unrecorded Continental Germanic personal name composed of spir ‘spear’ + hard ‘brave’. Whether this name has survived to the present time is unclear for although the medieval name is recorded in Yorks there is no evidence that it lies behind or influenced the pronunciation of the name in (1). The Norfolk form Spurrett (1615) shows a post-medieval change in pronunciation. For alternative interpretations of Spirhard see (ii).from Middle English spir (Old English spīr) ‘shoot blade reed’ + the Old French suffix -(h)ard for a tall thin man perhaps and synonymous with Spearing. For this type of hybrid compound see Sherrard. Alternatively Spirhard might mean ‘breathe hard’ or ‘search hard’ a compound of either Middle English spīren (Old French espirer) ‘to breathe out’ or Middle English spiren (Old English spyrian) ‘to enquire search’ + the Middle English adverb hard. Some of the following post-medieval bearers may alternatively belong with (1) or (3). 3: the following bearers clearly point to another possible origin but remain unexplained. Perhaps it is variant of Middle English skirwhit(e) ‘skirret water parsnip’ (see Skerritt) altered by folk etymology through association with Middle English spir(e) ‘stalk blade of a plant’. The Gloucs form Spurrett (1610) shows a post-medieval change in pronunciation.
Alao : 1: West African (Nigeria): unexplained.2: Filipino: metonymic occupational name from a Hispanicized form of Ilokano alaw a term denoting a method used to get back a lost spirit.3: In some cases possibly also Portuguese (Alão): from the personal name Alão an equivalent of Alan.
Belgarde : Altered (shortened) form of French Bellegarde. This surname is most common among Native Americans in ND namely the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Tribe of Dakota Sioux. It is also found in Haiti.
Carnevale : Italian: from carnevale ‘festival’ (from carnelevare ‘fast’ literally ‘removal of meat’; it was the normal practice to have a riotous carnival before a period of solemn fast such as Lent and this gradually acquired a greater significance than the fast itself and usurped the meaning of the word). This was sometimes used as a personal name (Italian Varnevale also Carlevario; Latin Carnelevarius) probably bestowed on someone born at the time of a carnival or a nickname for someone with a particularly festive spirit.
Colombo : Italian and Spanish: from the personal name Colombo from Latin Colombus Colomba from Latin columbus ‘dove’ a personal name favored by early Christians because the dove was considered to be the symbol of the Holy Spirit. In some cases the name may have arisen as a nickname for a gentle mild-mannered person or as a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of doves.
Colon : 1: Spanish (Colón): from the Latin personal name Colombus Colomba meaning ‘dove’ favored by early Christians because the dove was considered to be the symbol of the Holy Spirit.2: Catalan: Castilianized form (Colón) of Colom.
Espiritu : Spanish (Espíritu): from a short form of a Christian religious compound name formed with a personal name + ‘del Espíritu Santo’ (from Latin Spiritus Sanctus ‘Holy Spirit’) bestowed especially on children born on the religious festival of Pentecost the day when the Holy Spirit descended on Christ's apostles.
Geist : 1: German: in most cases a distorted form of Geiss ‘goat’ a metonymic occupational name for a goatherd or nickname for a stubborn person from Middle High German geiz ‘goat’.2: German: topographic or habitational name referring to a house marked by the sign of the Holy Spirit (normally depicted as a dove) from Middle High German geist ‘spirit’. Both Geist and Heilgeist occur as house signs in Frankfurt am Main in the mid 14th century.3: North German: topographic name for someone who lived in an area of barren sandy soil Middle Low German gēst.
Hubbell : English: of Norman origin from the Middle English personal name Hubald (Old French Hubaut from ancient Germanic hugu ‘mind spirit thought’ + bald ‘brave bold’).
Kaplan : 1: Jewish (Ashkenazic): surname sometimes used as a translation of Cohen from German Kaplan or Polish kapłan ‘chaplain curate’.2: German Swedish Czech Slovenian and Croatian; Slovak (Kaplán); Polish (Kapłan); Hungarian (Káplán): status name for a deacon chaplain or curate ultimately from Late Latin capellanus (see Chaplin 1) or a nickname for someone resembling a clergyman.3: Turkish: ornamental name or nickname from kaplan ‘tiger’ possibly applied to someone thought to resemble a tiger typically in having indomitable courage or spirit.4: American shortened form of Greek Kaplanis from Turkish kaplan ‘tiger’ (see 3 above) or of any of its patronymics and other derivatives e.g. Kaplanidis and Kaplanoglou.
Lang : 1: Scottish English German Dutch Danish and Jewish (Ashkenazic); Swedish (also Lång): nickname for a tall person from Older Scots Middle English Middle High German Middle Dutch and Danish lang ‘long’ Swedish lång. The surname of (Middle High) German origin is also found in France (mainly Alsace and Lorraine) Czechia Hungary Poland Slovakia Croatia and Slovenia.2: Hungarian (Láng): from láng ‘flame’ hence probably a nickname for a passionate person or a man with a fighting spirit. Alternatively it may be an indirect occupational name for a smith or someone who worked with fire. This surname is also found in Slovenia where it is spelled Lang and in Slovakia where it is spelled in both ways.3: Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 郎 an ancient term to refer to one's lover or son: (i) from the placename Lang (郎) the name of a city the living place of Fei Bo the grandson of the Duke Yi of Lu (ruler of the state of Lu reigned 815–807 BC). Some of his descendants later changed their original surname Fei to Lang (郎). (ii) borne by some families from the state of the South Huns (48–216 AD located in northern China).4: Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 冷 see Leng 4.5: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 梁 see Liang 1.6: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 藍 see Lan 1.7: Vietnamese (Lăng): from the Chinese surname 凌 see Ling 4.8: Vietnamese: from the Chinese surname 郎 see 3 above.
Longie : Americanized form of French Langer. It is most common among the Spirit Lake Tribe of the Dakota Sioux Native American people in ND.
Pousson : French: from Old French pousson a spirit made from linseed oil or hemp hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made this. In the US this surname is found mainly in LA.
Satz : Jewish (Ashkenazic): acronymic surname from the first letters of the Hebrew phrase Zera TSadikim ‘seed of the righteous’ assumed in a spirit of pious respect for one's ancestors.
Shobbrook : from Shobrooke (Devon) which is recorded as Schokebrocke in 1260. The place-name derives from Old English sceocca ‘evil spirit demon’ + brōc ‘brook stream’.
Shuckburgh : from Shuckburgh (Warwicks) which is recorded as Schukeberg in 1236. The place-name derives from Old English scucca ‘evil spirit demon goblin’ + beorg ‘hill mound’.
Shuckford : from a lost or unidentified place called Shuckford or similar apparently in Suffolk. The origin of the the place-name cannot be certain without a greater number of early forms but it may derive from Old English scucca ‘evil spirit demon’ + ford ‘shallow place by which water can be crossed ford’.
Spirito : Italian: from the personal name Spirito a Christian devotional name alluding to the Spirito Santo ‘Holy Spirit’ (from Latin Spiritus Sanctus). This name was bestowed especially on children born on the religious festival of Pentecost the day when the Holy Spirit descended on Christ's apostles.
Ubaldo : Spanish (Cantabria): from the personal name Ubaldo from ancient Germanic Hugbald composed of the elements hugu ‘mind spirit thought’ + bald ‘brave bold’. This surname is rare in Spain; it is found mainly in the Philippines and Mexico.
Wildblood : for an untamed spirit or a rake from Middle English wild(e) ‘wild’ + blod ‘blood’.
Wohl : 1: German: nickname from Middle High German Middle Low German wol ‘pleasant’.2: North German: topographic name from Middle Low German wolt ‘wood’.3: Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name adopted in a spirit of optimism from German Wohl ‘wellbeing’.
Zatz : Jewish (Ashkenazic): acronymic surname from the first letters of the Hebrew phrase Zera TSadikim ‘seed of the righteous’ assumed in a spirit of pious respect for one's ancestors.
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Source : FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain, ©2021, University of the West of England
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