Discovering Surnames: Their origins and meanings

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Most people take their surnames very much for granted, and yet they are one of our most personal and interesting possessions. Your surname can tell you quite a lot about your ancestors. Were they red-headed, or bald, tempermental or jovial? What did they do for a living? Where did they live? What were their parents' names? Your surname can reveal information like this. Not all names are what they at first sight seem to be: if your name is Farmer, then an ancestor was a tax-collector; if it is Alabaster, then you are descended from a crossbowman. Strong in your convictions? Then perhaps your name is Firmin, or if the opposite is true maybe it is Shuttle. The original Knowles lived on a hill, the first Nash near an ash tree, and Stubbins by the cleared land. Your name may be of Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, or Norman origin, and in this book Welsh, Scottish and Irish names each have a chapter devoted to them. A thousand surnames are included, and if your name is not amongst them, then probably a very similar one is. 'Discovering Surnames' is an easy-to-read introduction to a fascinating subject.