Surnames began to appear in England in the 11th and 12th centuries. They were initially used by the aristocracy who tended to base their names on their estates or manor, for example the surname Belasis arose from the historic manor of Belasis in North East England. By the 13th century, however, surnames had become much more prevalent as they were necessary for the collection of taxation. By 1400 most English people had surnames and these tended to fall into one of four categories, although, as we will see, many of them overlap. This article looks at some of the most popular English surnames to see which category they fall into.
Occupational Surnames
Smith is the most popular name in the English speaking world. Usually believed to have originated from an iron worker such as a blacksmith or tinsmith, according to surname db.com its original meaning wassmiten referring to a soldier (one who smote).
Another common occupational surname is Taylor which derives simply from the French Tailleur meaning a cutter of cloth. The first recording of the name was in 1180 AD. Famous historical Taylors include Zachary, 12th President of the US and children's author Jane Taylor (1783-1824).
Walker is a name of Anglo-Scottish origin and according to An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import (1857) is an occupation name for a fuller or someone who's duty is to walk or inspect a piece of forest land. It could also, however, be a locational name referring to the town of Walker in Northumberland.
Wright was one of the earliest occupational surnames. It is derived from the 7th Century Old English word wyrhta meaning a craftsman; hence there were wheelwrights, millwrights and wainwrights.
Patronymic or Matronymic Surnames
These are surnames inherited from the father or mother and so show us many popular Christian names throughout the centuries.
Johnson is one of many patronymic surnames. John is derived from the Hebrew Yochanan meaning "God has favoured me (with a son)". This has obvious religious significance, dating back to John the Baptist and has probably been one of the most consistently popular names throughout millennia.
Robinson is another patronymic name, Robin being a diminutive of the early popular Robert. Robin probably took on a popularity of its own due to the legend of Robin Hood.
Matronymic surnames are much rarer, being used mainly by unmarried or widowed mothers; examples are Beaton, Ibbotson and Tiffany.
If this tradition continues through the next millennium, we can look forward to names like Aaronson, Callumson, Ethanson as well as Chelseason and Poppyson appearing in our electoral rolls!
Characteristic Surnames
White was either used to denote the white purity of a baby or also could refer to the pale skin of the Anglo-saxons compared to the Celts. Brown usually meant brown skin or hair, but could also have been the brown clothing of a cleric, making it more of an occupational name. Short and Long could have been used literally or as nicknames which stuck.
Geographical Surnames
Wood obviously referred to someone who lived in a wood but Woods could also be someone gained his livelihood from a wood i.e. a forester.
Hill also appears obvious as someone living on or near a hill, but it could also have derived from the Anglo-Saxon Hildebrand, where Hild means war or battle.
Moore, Moor or the Scottish Muir again has an alternative to the obvious geographical location, as it could also be derived from the Old French More meaning dark-skinned, like Shakespeare's Moor of Venice.
Other geographical names directly refer to places such as Washington and Warrington.
Find out about the history of your surname by going to surname db.com, britishsurnames.co.uk or searchforancestors.com
Related Article:
Family Name Origin & Meaning: Occupation, Family History Research
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