A History of British SurnamesAiming to avoid technical terminology, Richard McKinley provides an introduction to the history of hereditary surnames in Britain from their first appearance to the present day. Devoting a chapter to each of the main categories of name, he enables readers to set the facts they discover about their own ancestry, family history and surnames into the context of general surname development. The author deals with those names that originate in England, Wales and Scotland; and since these tend to have their own distinct histories, he discusses developments in each of the three countries separately, wherever appropriate. The book uses the study of surnames to illuminate social history and draws attention to the complex patterns of population mobility that have always characterized British Society. It also describes regional and class differences in surnames, some features of which survive to our own time. |
Contents
The evolution of hereditary surnames | 22 |
Locative surnames | 51 |
Topographical surnames | 72 |
Copyright | |
6 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
already appear arose became become body of surnames Britain century onwards common surname Conquest derived from personal developed distribution East Anglia evidence example existed fourteenth century Gaelic Gaelic-speaking hereditary names hereditary surnames history of surnames hypochoristic forms individual surnames instances Lancashire landholders landowners large numbers locative names locative surnames meaning mediaeval metronymics Middle Ages Middle English Midlands migration nicknames north of England number of surnames occupational names occupational surnames occur Old English Oxfordshire parish personal names pet form places population prefix present day probably ramified rare regions Scandinavian Scotland Scots Scots-speaking seems serfs seventeenth century single family sixteenth century someone sometimes sources spelt surnames and by-names surnames derived surnames ending surnames formed surnames from personal surnames or by-names surnames originating survived Sussex thirteenth century topographical names topographical surnames topographical term twelfth century usually village Wales Welsh surnames west Midlands West Yorkshire word Yorkshire