Meanings

Some meanings of Surnames

 

Adams

Alexander

Anderson

Archer

Armson

Armstrong

Arnold

Atkins

Austin

Bacon

Baker

Balls

Barks

Barnes

 

Barnstable

Beaumont

Beeson

Bellamy

Berry

Betts

Bick

Bissel

Blackman

Bland

Braithwaite

Brand

Briars

Brooks

Brotherhood

Brown

Buckle

Burgess

Burnaby

Burnage

Burrows

Calcraft

Chance

Chapman

Charetie

Charlton

Chase

Chester

Clark

Clay

Cole

Cooke

Cragg

Cranis

Cresswell

Dakin

Davis

Docherty

Dowsett

Drew

Ecott

 

Efford

Everett

Etchells

 Fawkes

 Ferneaux

Fillery

 

 Fillingham

Flatters

 Flewett

Flint

Fotheringham

Fowkes

Freeman

Gaylarde

Geary

Gent

Gibbins

Gilbert

Giles

Gittins

Godfrey

Guy

 

 

 

Harper

Hart

Harwood

Hayes

Head

Heaven

Hilbert

High & Hill

Hoare

Hond

Horne

Hurley

Jones

Job/Jupp

Kay

Kelly

Kemp

Kimber

Leach

Lees

Lovell

Lovett

Marchant

Marriot

Martin

Mawer

Nye

Palmer

Pedder

Pinder

Pollard

Rider/Ryder

Rowe

Rudd

Scrivens

Sibley

Talbot

 

Thorp

Thurman

Wagstaffe

Red, found in Domesday Book

Defender of men

Son of Andrew

Bowman

Son of Ermin

Strong in the arm, well-known border name.

Old Germanic, eagle-power

Form of Adkin, a pet form of Adam

Form of Augustine, venerable

Nickname for a pork butcher

Old English 'baecere' baker

Middle English, a bare patch or white streak, Old English round hill, knoll

Bark+er, he stripped bark from trees for tanning. Middle English 'bark' to tan, a tanner

Domesday Book, A young man of a prominent family, Old English 'beorn', warrior. Also resident or employed at

the barns.

Post for mooring warships or from the town in Devon

From one of 5 places in Normandy named Beaumont

Where the bent-grass grew

Fair friend

ME: beri, biri, buri. of a manor-house surname must have meant 'servant of a manor-house'

 Usually pet form of Beatrice, also of Bertram

Beekeeper

Form of Bushell, one who measured out corn

black-haired/dark man

windy/stormy place

broad clearing, meadow

sword, torch, firebrand

Dweller amongst the brambles

Dweller at the brook

Fellow member of a guild or corporation

Brown haired, or complexion

Buckle maker

Citizen, freeman, inhabitant of a borough

Farm by a spring

Brown hedge

Dweller by the hill

Dweller at the cold croft

Old French, 'cheance', fortune, accident, luck, perhaps used for a gambler

Merchant, trader

form of Charity, almsgiving, hospitality, refuge

Place of free-peasants/villeins

Unenclosed hunting ground, hunter

Roman site

A man in a religious order, clergyman, later scholar, penman

Dweller on the clay, worker in a claypit

Coal-black, swarthy

Seller of cooked meats

Dweller by the steep rugged rocks

Possibly long-legged

Dweller by the watercress stream

Little David

Son of Davy

The stern

Sweet to the ear

Ghost, phantom

'Ecott' but it very possibly derives Greek defender of men  from Eastcott, Eastcourt, Escot, Estcourt:

Robert atte Estcote lived at the east cottage, now Eastcourt, near Estcot's Fm. in East Grinstead (Sussex).

A ford used at low tide

From Old German wild boar-hard

English: A Habitation name from OE: ecels piece of land added to an estate

 Old German, Falcon

 Dweller in the ferny hollow

 English: nickname from ANF fi(t)z le rei son of the king. Possibly a nickname for an illegitimate son of a monarch,

but more likely a humorous nickname for one who gave himself airs and graces, acting as if of royal blood.

 Homestead of Fygla's gang. Old English this Anglo-Saxon had a name related to fowl , bird.

Dwellers of level ground

 Old German, glory-strong.

Old English, hard as rock

Island for foddering/grazing

Folk, people

Free born man

Galliard, lively, brisk, full of high spirits.

Changeable, giddy

Noble in conduct, courteous

Gift-friend

Pledge-, or hostage-bright

French, kid; 6th century saint; associated with cripples, beggars, hunted creatures

Dusky, swarthy

God-peace

1. English: from OE: widu, wudu, wood or from German personal name Wido, of uncertain origin

2. English: occupational name for a guide, OF: gui. to guide.

3. Jewish: of unknown origin

Variations Guy, G(u)ye, Guitte, Wido, Why(e), Wye, Guyon, Wyon, Wi, Why,

 Harp-maker/player

Stag

Grey/hares/stoneheap wood

Dweller by brushwood

Dweller by the promontory or hill, or near the source of a stream or head of the valley

Evan, Welsh form of John

Ilbert, battle glorious

Dweller on the height or hill

Grey haired

Hand, may refer to some peculiarity of the hand, or skill in its use

Residence near a spur or tongue of land or a bend

Wood/clearing in a Hurn

from Johanins - Hebrew, Jehovah has favoured

From Hebrew, hated, persecuted

Old Norse Jackdaw, also living or working at a wharf or quay

Cornish, wood or grove

Old English warrior. Middle English athlete, wrestler

Old English to comb

Leech, physician

Dweller by the wood or clearing

Wolf

Ofr: louet. 'wolf-cub'

Merchant trader

Dimutive of Mary - wished for child

From Mars the god of war

A mower, may also mean at the moor

Resident of low lying land

Pilgrim to the holy land

One who carries goods for sale, a pedlar

An officer of the manor who impounded stray beasts

Middle English, to clip

Knight, mounted warrior

Dweller in a row of houses

Red breast

One who writes and copies books

The priestess who uttered the ancient chronicals

Robbers who blacked their faces to avoid recognition also wooden billet hung round the neck of

animals to stop them straying

Outlying dairy farm

Thors protection

A beadle

 

Copyright Guy Etchells Ó 1998 All rights reserved.

Permission is granted for all free personal and non-commercial uses. It is my intention to make all data contained herein freely available for all private, non-profit and non-commercial uses. Commercial use of any portion contained herein is expressly prohibited.

 

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