Etymology of Unusual Surnames

A few will be aware I have been known to speak on various subjects over the years. Fundamentally these all revolve around my favourite subject of etymology. Have always enjoyed bringing this fascinating subject to others. It’s not for me to say whether the audiences have, although many have asked me to return.

Thought it might be worthwhile sharing a snippet or two from these etymological presentations, continuing with Etymology of Unusual Surnames. The concept of the hereditary surname came to Britain with the Normans. As people were less likely to move about, and there were less of them, given names were followed by a point of origin, a paternal name, a trade or a nickname. The same is true today although, as we now take the names of our parent or parents, the meaning and the reason they were chosen are not altogether so obvious. So where does your name originate? Does it reveal anything about your ancestors? Who else shares or once shared your name? And why are names such as Cholmondley and Featherstonehaugh pronounced so oddly?

Cholmondley is a Cheshire place name - this the reason why it has become pronounced ‘chum-lee’. It is ‘the woodland clearing of a man named Ceolmund’.

Snodgrass - another place name, it stands – at a bend of the River Garnock at Irvine, Ayrshire and comes from Old English snod graesse or ‘smooth grass’. Here ‘smooth’ doubtless refers to the level land rather than the grass itself.

When it comes to the most common names in English, and I’m discounting imported names such as ‘Singh’ and ‘Khan’ on the basis they aren’t from our shores and this is an English etymological talk, Smith is still the most common but only at 1.15% of the population; Jones amounts to 0.94%, Williams at 0.66%, and Taylor at 0.53%

If you think you know someone who would like to hear me speak on this subject, drop me a line.