The english surnames have diverse roots, due to the fact that the British lands were colonized and invaded by different peoples throughout its history and each one left its mark on the local onomastic tradition.
In England the first records of the use of surnames date back to the 11th century. So they were generally adopted by noble families and not by ordinary people..
During the 15th century, most English people had adopted surnames, but the custom became popular in the rest of Britain in the 17th century..
The most popular surnames within English culture are patronymic. Despite that, they also have place names and occupations among the 100 most common English surnames..
According to traditions, a woman used to take her husband's surname when they were married. However, at present they can choose to keep their maiden name or create a new one by linking their last name with that of their husband..
It is also the parents who choose the last name that will be assigned to a child at the time of registration. It can be changed at any time by the minor's representative or by himself when he reaches the age of majority..
This surname is common within English-speaking countries and means 'son of Adam'.
It can have several meanings depending on its etymological origin. In some cases it is interpreted as 'handsome', it can also mean 'small stone' or 'harmony'.
It is a patronymic that means 'son of Andrew' (Andrés in Spanish and Andreas in Greek), a proper name that means 'masculine' or 'man'.
It is a corruption of the English word bailiff derived from French bailli, whose meaning is 'alguacil' (a public official of great relevance during the Middle Ages).
This surname comes from the profession of 'baker' and was assigned to those who worked making bread or who were in charge of a communal oven (something common in the Middle Ages). Baxter was also applied for women.
It is derived from the profession of leather tanner (because the bark of some trees was used in the process and in English these are known as'tree bark '). In some cases this surname was assigned to the shepherds (from the French word bercher).
There are several origins, one of them is a toponymic adopted by those who lived in a barn (barn) or by those who worked in one. They are also believed to be derived from Old English beorn ('warrior') or Old Norse bjǫrn ('bear').
It may come from the occupation of bell maker or ringer (the one who gave announcements). Likewise, it could be assigned to those who lived near a bell such as those in the advertisements of shops or the name Bel (from the French for 'beautiful').
This surname derives from the Latin proper name Benedictus, which means 'blessed', 'well said' ('the one who speaks well') and has also been interpreted as 'the one of whom one speaks well'.
Its literal translation is 'brown' and it referred to the color of a person's hair, eyes or complexion. Derived from Old English as well as Old French brun.
It follows from the name of an occupation, in this case that of 'butler'. Comes from french butuiller, name given to the servants in charge of the wine cellar; then the highest ranking servant within the noble house staff was named after him.
It comes from Gaelic roots cam ('crooked') and beul ('mouth'), so its meaning is 'crooked mouth'. It was applied to people who had bad teeth, but it was also assigned as a nickname to those who said bad words frequently.
It is linked to the occupation that consisted of transporting goods in a cart (cart) and derives in turn from the Latin word 'carter' (carettarius).
This last name means 'merchant' and comes from the Old English term ceap, which meant 'business' or 'sale' together with the particle man ('man').
Comes from the word clerk, which translates as 'secretary' and shares roots with the word 'clergyman' since they come from Latin clericus. This was the name of the trade that consisted of keeping written records (generally tied to the Church in the past).
It is another form of the English surname Clark and both derive from the voice clerk with the sense of 'secretary'.
It is the patronymic of a popular name in England and Scotland: Colin (a diminutive of Nicolas). It is also thought that it may have roots in Welsh 'hazelnut' or Old Norse so its meaning could be 'dark'.
This surname is derived from the name that was given to the people who exercised the occupation of 'cook', which is its literal meaning. In some cases it was given to those who ran restaurants or sold cooked meat in an establishment.
It was the name given to those who worked in the manufacture and repair of barrels or barrels (in Spanish 'coopers'). Derived from the Dutch word 'kup' for 'container' which became English as 'coop'.
There are various etymological origins for this surname, one of them is the word cocc which meant 'the little one' in Old English. There is also the root of Old English cock ('mound' or 'hill') and from the Welsh language coch (which means 'red').
This surname is the patronymic of the proper name David, so it means 'son of David'.
It is another form of the last name Davies, so it shares with it the meaning of 'son of David' (which in turn means 'loved').
It is a patronymic surname that translates as 'son of Edward' (Eduardo in Spanish). This name can be interpreted as 'prosperous guardian'.
It has several meanings depending on its origin, one of them is that it derives from the French for 'fleur de lis', the other comes from the Welsh elus which means 'charitable' or 'benevolent'. It is also used as a proper name for men and women..
It is the patronymic of Evan and translates as 'son of Evan'; is an adaptation of the Iefan (Welsh) form of the name Juan (also Ivan or Ian, with whom it is closer phonetically).
It is a surname derived from the occupation of 'fisherman', received by those who made a living from fishing or by those who lived near a river or other body of water in which this activity was practiced..
It comes from the title given to those who were in charge of caring for and managing the hunting grounds (often forests) of a noble or high-ranking cleric..
This last name means 'son of Gilbert'. This proper name of German origin is composed of two parts, the first (gisil) can be translated as 'hostage' or as 'bright arrow' and the second (berht) as 'famous' or 'noble'.
It is a toponymic surname, since it has its root in Grantham, a city that is in Lincolnshire.
This surname has the same Germanic root as the word flock ('gray'), which referred to the hair or eye color of the person who was assigned the same.
The literal translation of this surname is 'green' and it is thought that people who had eyes of that color were called that. It can also be derived from the term village green, which was a common meadow for the inhabitants of a town (as a toponymic surname).
It was created from the name Gruffudd, which means 'strong lord' and was popular with the Welsh princes.
Its literal translation is 'salon' and it is thought that its first carriers were people who worked as domestic servants in the house of the local nobleman or who lived near this enclosure..
This English name means 'son of Harry', which falls into the category of patronymic surnames. Harry in turn is an affectionate form of Henry that translates as 'head of the fatherland' or 'ruler of the fatherland'.
It is another form of English patronymic surname for the name Harry (means 'son of Harry').
The most accepted origin of this surname is Breton, which indicates that it is a modification of Aeruiu or Haerviu, names in which the first part means 'battle' (do) and the second 'worthy' (viu). That is, its wearer would be a warrior 'worthy of battle'.
It means 'hill' or 'mountain', so it is a toponymic surname adopted by those who lived or came from a land with those geographical characteristics.
This surname has several possible origins, one of them is that the individual lived on an island (holm). The other relates to this surname with the holly trees that in Middle English were commonly called holm.
It is the patronymic of the proper name Hugh. Its meaning is 'mind', 'soul' or 'intellect', when it comes from Germanic roots and 'fire' if it is derived from Welsh.
This surname is linked to the occupation of hunter (hunter) which in Old English was known as hunta.
It means 'son of Jack', making it a patronymic surname. The name from which it follows is one of the forms of John (Juan) or Jacobo.
It is the patronymic of the homograph name, linked with the names Jacobo, Jaime and Diego since they all arise from the Hebrew name Ya'akov.
Means 'son of Jenkin', a masculine proper name that is interpreted as 'little John'.
It literally translates to 'son of John', which is why it falls into the category of patronymic surnames..
It is a short way to indicate 'son of Johan', a name of Hebrew origin that means 'God is favorable'.
It has Gaelic roots and some of the probable meanings for this surname are 'shiny-haired', 'warrior' or 'troublesome'.
It is literally translated as 'king' and has roots in Old English, specifically in the word cyning, which meant 'chief of the tribe'.
This surname comes from Old English cniht which translates to 'boy' or 'young servant'. With the passage of time it became a noble title that translates as 'knight'.
It is rooted in the Old English word lēah, which meant 'meadow' or 'forest clearing' with what is considered a toponymic surname that was given to people who lived in a place with those characteristics.
It has diverse origins, one of them is the patronymic of the English form of Ludovico (a Latin name that means 'winner of the games'). It can also derive from the German Ludwig ('famous warrior'), equivalent to the French forms Clovis, Louis and Lowis.
This surname has Welsh origin, specifically it is derived from the word llwyd what does 'gray' mean.
It is derived from a francian word in which the terms were joined mare ('horse') and skalkoz ('servant'). Another interpretation he received was that of 'horse lover' and later it became a military rank.
It is used as a first and last name in many English-speaking territories. It means 'from Mars' or 'from war'. It comes from the Latin proper name Martinus (related to Mars, the deity of war).
This was a surname related to the occupation of an individual, since it was known as mason to those who worked as 'stonemasons', that is, with the preparation of stones to use them in construction.
Its literal translation is 'son of Matthew', the English form of the name Mateo, which in turn means 'gift of Yahveh'.
This surname is interpreted as 'miller' and was assigned to those who worked in a mill or who lived near one.
Like Miller, this surname is linked to the occupation of 'miller' or the fact of being the owner of one.
It derives from the name Michael (Miguel) which is of Hebrew origin and means 'who is like God?'. It can also come from the words mechel, michel, Y girl which can be understood as 'big'.
This surname can have various origins. The first is the word moor ('páramo' in English), that same word can be understood as 'moro' (related to dark-skinned individuals). It can also come from city names.
It is a deformation of the Welsh proper name Morcant, composed of the terms 'sea' (mor) and 'circle' (cant).
This surname comes from the French name Maurice, which in turn derives from the Latin Mauritius, which is interpreted as 'from Mauritania' or 'Moro', that is, someone with brown or dark skin..
It originates from an Irish patronymic, adapted to the English language. The original surname was Ó Murchadh ('son of Murchadh') and this name in turn is translated as 'warrior of the sea' (muir is interpreted as 'sea' and cath as 'battle').
It can be derived from two different roots, one of which is Scottish, which is related to the word for 'coastal settlement' (moireabh). The other indicates that its meaning is 'son of the servant of the Virgin Mary' (Mac Giolla Mhuire).
It is the patronymic of the homograph name, which in turn is one of the adaptations of Eugenius (Eugenio), whose meaning is 'noble' or 'well-born'.
It translates as 'palmero'. This surname was received by those who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and returned with consecrated palms as a sign that they had managed to reach their destination and return home..
This last name comes from the name of a profession or occupation, in this case that of 'park ranger', or someone who was in charge of the maintenance and administration of a park.
It comes from the proper name Pierre introduced by the Normans in the British territory, that is why its meaning is 'son of Pierre'.
It is a patronymic surname that translates as 'son of Phillip' (this masculine proper name of Greek origin means 'horse lover').
It means 'son of Hywel', it is the Welsh patronymic form of this name that is interpreted as 'eminent' and that had great popularity among local nobles.
It also has Welsh origin, in this case it translates as 'son of Rhys' (name that means 'enthusiasm').
This surname means 'red' and has Scottish roots. Originally redheaded people were given a nickname.
The literal translation of this surname is 'son of Richard', a name that means 'strong ruler' or 'brave leader'.
Like Richards its meaning is 'son of Richard'.
It is a patronymic so it is interpreted as 'son of Robert'.
It is another patronymic for the name Robert. This name has Germanic roots, since it is a deformation of Hrodebert (hróðr 'fame' or 'glory' and berht 'brilliant') with which means 'he who shines for his glory'.
It means 'son of Robin', which in turn is one of the diminutives that exist for the masculine name Robert.
It translates to 'son of Roger', a name that means 'famous spear'.
This English surname is related to the arrival of the Normans to the British Isles, since it is thought to be a deformation of roux ('red'), with which they referred to the color of an individual's hair.
It means 'Scottish' and it was the name of the people who came from this area or who inhabited it, so it is considered a toponymic surname.
It is a toponymic surname that was given to people who lived in a small forest (shaw).
Its literal meaning is 'son of Simon'. That masculine proper name comes from Hebrew and translates as 'one who has heard God'.
This surname is interpreted as 'blacksmith' in Spanish and falls into the category of occupations and professions.
It is a patronymic meaning 'son of Steven' (or Stephen), a name that translates to 'victorious' or 'the crowned one'.
This surname comes from the Old English word stigeweard, in which stige means 'living room' and weard translates as 'guardian'.
Its meaning is 'tailor' (the person in charge of making suits or garments), so it is a surname related to the occupation or profession of its wearer. It is a deformation of the French tailler (which translates as 'cut').
It is the patronymic surname of the homograph name, so it means 'son of Thomas'.
This is another form of the patronymic of Thomas, a masculine name of Aramaic origin that translates as 'twin'.
Just like Thomas and Thompson this English surname means 'son of Thomas'.
It has its origin in a profession or occupation, in this case that of those who made articles both in wood and in metal or bone with the help of a lathe. It has also been suggested that he comes from the profession of a language translator or interpreter.
This surname arose from the occupation that was common during the Middle Ages that consisted of making the fabrics thicker (walking).
It has several roots, one is from Old English to refer to the 'guards' and it was given to those who were dedicated to this. It can also come from the word for 'swamp' (werd). Another origin is that of 'bardo' (bard), who were medieval poets and singers.
This is a patronymic surname for the name Walter (which translates to 'mighty warrior').
It is related to the profession of 'weaver' (weaver), that is, the people who made cloth.
Its literal translation is 'white' and it was given to people who had white or very light hair and skin, as well as those who had blonde hair.
It means 'son of Wilkin', which was an affectionate or diminutive form for the name William (Guillermo).
It is the patronymic of William, this masculine proper name from which the surname is derived means 'willful protector'.
Its translation is 'son of Wil', another of the forms that the name William adopted in the British Isles.
It means 'forest' and was given to people who lived in or near a wooded area as a toponymic surname. It could also be adopted by those who worked in forests as guardians or as lumberjacks..
Comes from the word wryhta, that described the occupation of working with wood, molding it or creating objects with it. It later became synonymous with 'worker' and applied to a wide variety of occupations.
Its translation is 'young', it was used to make a distinction between a father and a son who had the same first name, as well as to denote that someone was the youngest among their siblings.
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