Originating from the 17th century, it refers to the village Odell in Bedfordshire, England. This English occupational surname means ‘a keeper of oxen’ or ‘a scribe’ or ‘a clerk.’ 82. This surname of Irish, Scots or English origin means ‘Son of Nicholas’. It is a derivative of Olde English pre 7th Century word ‘nihtegal’. This English surname meaning ‘someone with a sweet voice’ has an Anglo-Saxon origin. It could also be the matronymic surname that means ‘son of Eleanor’. This patronymic surname is a form of the Irish name Neal or from the Gaelic Niall and means ‘champion’. This locational surname comes from the old English word ‘The cattle farm’ or ‘neat’ which means ‘cattle’. Murphyĭerived from the Irish personal name ‘Murchadh’, Murphy means ‘Sea Warrior’. It is derived from the term Maurice which means ‘dark’. Sometimes, the heir to an estate would change his name to that of the original family if he was not in the direct line.Ĭopies may be made for personal use only.Morris is a popular surname in the British Isles. Historically, a duke or earl often tended to be known by his title (Warwick, Northumberland, Suffolk, Norfolk, Gloucester, York, Lancaster, March, Leicester) but would have a family name as well. Some titled families still bear them today. These surnames all occurred amongst the nobility during medieval times. Place of origin (North, York, Southey, Lancaster) Where in the village/town one lived (Hill, Green, Church, Field, Townsend) Indicated what trade a person or his ancestors followed Originally these were only borne by nobles and were likely to be restricted to the place of origin, preceded by 'de' as in modern French, or the father's name preceded by 'Fitz' (from French fils 'son').įamily names and nicknames brought by the Normans (see below)įamily names taken from personal names, usually maleĭescriptions of appearance or character (Short, Brown, Redhead) The Anglo-Saxons used only personal names, sometimes with nicknames and patronymics, so it was not until after the Norman Conquest that inherited surnames were adopted. Anglo-Saxon and Norman French names can be similar due to the common Germanic roots of the Angles, Saxons and Vikings. Some Saxon and Norse names were retained along with their Norman counterparts but they gradually became less common. Literacy became more widespread and a classical influence became apparent, especially in girls' names. The Normans brought both servants and ordinary fighting men whose sphere was far outside that of the nobles and the linguistic structure that was to become English began to be formed. (Canute the Dane had defeated Edward's father, Ethelred, and married Emma.) French influence had reached Britain already through Edward the Confessor who was brought up by his mother Emma's relatives in Brittany, although this was limited almost exclusively to court circles. Although the Normans, or Norsemen, had only been settled in northern France for about two generations, they retained little of their original language and the naming pattern was altered. The Norman invasion of 1066 introduced a large stock of continental Germanic and French names. England-Medieval Kate Monk's Onomastikon (Dictionary of Names)
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