(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . English Surnames: Habitational and geographic surnames [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-03-19 In his book Adam’s Curse: The Science that Reveals Our Genetic Destiny, Bryan Sykes reports: “The trouble was that, without surnames, it was almost impossible for the estate officers to keep track of events.” Bryan Sykes also reports: “Other than among the aristocracy, most English surnames were introduced around the thirteenth century, principally as a tool of estate management. By this time pretty much the whole country was divided into large feudal estates, a direct legacy of the Norman invasion in 1066 by William the Conqueror, who handed them out to his friends and supporters.” In his book Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors, Nicholas Wade summarizes it this way: “Commoners acquired surnames between AD 1250 and 1350, apparently for the convenience of feudal record keepers who needed to differentiate between tenant farmers with the same first names.” Family names were created in many ways. One of the common ways was for the family name to reflect heritage, thus the suffix -son was added to the father’s name to create the surname (such as Johnson, Jameson, and so on). Another way for creating surnames was to use a person’s village or regional name as the surname(i.e., a habitational surname) or to use a word describing the geographical features—such as a lake, pond, forest, etc---near where the person lived as the surname. A few examples of habitation and geographical surnames are described below. Aycock: this habitational surname is Heycock, Berkshire. Ball: this surname comes from the Middle English word balle, which can mean someone who lives on or near a rounded hill. Bodycomb: this is an English surname derived from the counties of Bodiam in West Sussex, Bodenham in Herefordshire, and Bodham in Norfolk. Variations of this surname include Boddam, Bodiam, Bodicam, Bodicum, and Bodycombe. Bottom: this surname refers to someone who lives in a broad valley. Brain: this is an English surname derived from Brain, Normandy. Broadhurst: this surname is derived from Broadhurst, Sussex. It comes from the Old English words brad, which means "broad," and hyrst, which means "wooded hill." Burton: this surname is from burh which means ‘Fort’ and tun meaning ‘enclosure’ or ‘settlement’. Cobbledick: this is an Anglo-Saxon surname derived from Cobbledi in Lincolnshire. Cockburn: this surname is derived from Cockburn, a town in Berwickshire. It comes from the Old English words cocc (rooster) and burna (stream). Cornfoot: This is an Anglo-Saxon surname derived from the Cornford area of Durham. Fanny: this surname is derived from the Old English word fenn, which means "fen" or "wetlands." It refers to a family who lives near a marsh or swamp. Ford: this geographic surname referred to people who lived near a ford. Hardick: this habitational surname is from Hardwick in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Hardmeat: this habitational surname is derived from the parish of Hardmead in Buckinghamshire. Holmes: this habitational or geographical surname originated in the Northern Middle English region called Holm, meaning ‘An Island’. Hooker: this surnameis from the Old English hoc, which means "angle" or "hook," and refers to "a person who lived near a river bend or corner of a natural feature." Lee: this surname is a variant of Lea, Leah or Leigh and refers to a ‘Meadow’ or ‘Forest’. Longbottom: this surname was originally used for people who lived in a long valley. Pound: this common English surname comes from the Middle English pund (later pound), which means an animal enclosure. Variations include Pounds, Pounder, Pund, Pond, and Ponds. Pusey: this surname is derived from Pusey, Oxfordshire. It comes from the Old English peose, which means "island.” Ramsbottom: this surname is derived from the Lancashire town of Ramsbottom. It comes from the Old English words ramm (wild garlic) and bothm (valley bottom). Ruff: this geographical surname is for someone who lives on or near uncultivated rough land. Shufflebottom: this surname originated in Lancashire and has several spellings, including Shovellbottom and Shoebottom. It refers to families who own land in a valley. Smalley: this surname is from the Old English words smael, which means "narrow," and leah, which means "wood" or "clearing." Tickle: this surname is derived from the village of Tickhill in South Yorkshire. Titsworth: this surname is from Tetsworth, Oxfordshire. More English Etymology English Surnames: Occupational surnames Origins of English: Morticians and more Origins of English: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper Origins of English: Kibitzing about the whole kit and kaboodle Origins of English: Kinds of meat Origins of English: Walk, run, and other words Origins of English: Riot, Sedition, and other words Origins of English: Pandemic words [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/19/2158861/-English-Surnames-Habitational-and-geographic-surnames Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/