Last names have not been around forever. It seems that they first began to be used in England around 1250, possibly as a need to identify individuals beyond their immediate family and locality. The Norman feudal system provided one reason for this need for surnames: so too did the development of subsidy rolls at parishes around the country.

There appear to be four main origins of surnames:

* family patronyms (i.e. names deriving from first names)
* nicknames
* names describing a location (where one lived)
* and occupational or trade names.

The Scandinavian nomenclature seems to have provided one early form, particularly in the north of England. William son of John therefore became William Johnson and so forth. Alternatively, the suffix “s” was used, the “s” denoting the genitive or “of.” Thus Roberts or Williams. In the twelfth and thirteenth century, William, Robert, Richard, and Thomas were the most used first names. John became popular in the fourteenth century, as did Henry and Roger. These names became the bases for the most common surnames.

Nicknames describing appearance also became surnames, by complexion (such as “Brown” or “White”), by characteristic (“Wise” or “Young” for instance). Some of the nicknames describing traits, with Old English roots, may have been the earliest surnames. “Lewis” comes from the Old English leofwyne and means loving friend. “Baldwin” means in fact a bold person, “Gale” means merry or gay, “Curtis”, with its roots still understandable, courteous. Some names are less flattering. “Crump” means bent or crooked, “Morley” ill-omened and someone to avoid.

Sometimes, the nickname signifies an outsider (i.e. “Walsh” or “Welsh” being Welsh and “Scott” Scottish). In time, Welsh-origin names such as Evans and Griffiths came into England, as did Scottish names as well

Many people were also named by where they lived. Thus John who lived by a wood became John Wood, Thomas who lived in a hall (probably as a servant) Thomas Hall. The location names were either singular or with the suffix “s” (denoting “of”), such as Banks or Rhodes.

A later naming (apparently) was that due to occupation. Every village had a smith or a tailor and Thomas the smith became Thomas Smith, Robert the tailor Robert Taylor. Other common occupational names were Baker, Clark or Clarke (meaning a scribe), Carter, Cook, Cooper (a barrel maker), Parker (the park keeper), Turner (a lathe operator), Walker (a fuller of cloth), Ward (a watchman or guard), and Wright.

The most common surnames in England today reflect these origins.

The Most Common Surnames
First Name Nickname/Location Occupation
Jackson Brown Clark
Johnson White Cooper
Robinson Lewis Smith
Thomson Green Taylor
Wilson Hall Turner
Davies Hill Walker
Edwards Wood
Hughes Welsh
Roberts
Thomas Evans
Williams

Some names are more prevalent in one region of the country. Some are localized within one particular area. Some less common names often have more than one geographic origin. And some come from a single place or forebear.

Overall, the process of surnames looks to have become the norm for everyone throughout England by the early part of the fifteenth century. And these names, which describe our long-since vanished medieval way of life, have stayed with us to this day.

 

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