Name Database
Allen
Patronymic surname from the Breton personal name Alain, Alein and originally a Celtic personal name of great antiquity. The present-day frequency of the surname Allen in England is partly accounted for by the popularity of the personal name among Breton followers of William the Conqueror, who brought the name to England.
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Mary Allen 1753-1825
Thomas Allen c1719-1800
Baker
Occupational surname referring to someone who bakes. Derives from the Old English word 'baecere'.
Batten
Patronymic surname referring to an ancestor named Baten or Batun. These were Middle English personal names and were the diminutive forms of the name Bat (meaning 'little Bat').
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Herbert Frederick Batten 1909-1980
Herbert Victor Batten 1887-1960
Baxter
Occupational surname from Middle English baxter meaning ‘baker’.
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Charlotte Baxter 1852-1891
James Baxter 1752-1799
James Baxter 1830-1865
Richard Baxter 1713-1782
Thomas Baxter 1798-1862
Beasley
Beasley and the variant Baseley are habitational surname, referring to someone from Beesley in Lancashire, or any of the places called Bisley in Gloucestershire and Surrey. Perhaps also a variant of Basley, from the Middle English personal name Basile or Basily, used for men and women alike.
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Rev. Henry Baseley 1740-1787
Thomas Baseley -1754
Thomas Baseley 1710-1784
Charles Beasley c1807-1876
Charles Thomas Beasley 1865-1952
Charles William Beasley 1776-1837
Lucy Beasley c1798-1869
Bentley
Habitational surname from any of the various places named Bentley, the chief of which are in Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Warwick, Worcestershire, and East and South Yorkshire.
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Annie Louisa Bentley 1857-1947
James Henry Bentley 1805-1863
William Bentley c1775-1820
William Henry Bentley 1830-1891
Billing
Patronymic surname from the Middle English personal name Billing derived from Old English bil 'sword' or a habitational name from Great and Little Billing in Northamptonshire meaning '(settlement of) the followers (Old English -ingas) of a man called Bill(a) or Bȳdel'.
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Mary Billing c1785-1861
Botting
Patronymic surname referring to an ancestor with the personal name of Botting, a pet form of the Old English name Botta. This surname has an unusually long history in the village of Nuthurst, Sussex. Our known Botting ancestors lived in Shipley, Sussex but likely ultimately hailed from Nuthurst.
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John Botting 1757-1817
Martha Botting 1792-1851
Bramble
Topographic surname for someone who lived by a blackberry thicket/bramble bush, or possibly a nickname for a prickly person. From the Middle English brembel bremble (Old English brēmel braemel) meaning 'bramble, blackberry bush'.
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Henry Bramble 1756-1802
John Bramble 1787-1863
Mary Ann Bramble 1822-1882
Brooks
Topographical surname referring to someone who lived near a brook or stream.
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James Brooks -1794
John Brooks 1744-
Thomas Brooks 1771-1844
Burton
Habitational surname referring to someone who lived in any one of the places named Burton, very common in central and northern England (our known Burton family resided in Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire). The place name means a fortified settlement, from the Old English burh 'fort' + tūn 'enclosure settlement'.
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John Burton c1767-1841
Sarah Burton 1829-
William Burton 1790-
Butler
Descriptive surname that originally referred to a wine steward, usually the chief servant in a medieval household (from the Norman French butuiller, meaning 'bottle'). Could also be an occupational surname deriving from the Middle English boteler meaning 'maker of bottles' (usually of leather).
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James Butler 1758-1844
John Butler 1786-1869
John Butler 1822-1891
Sarah Butler 1855-1890
Caston
​Habitational name from a place in Norfolk named Caston, from an unattested Old English personal name Catt or the Old Norse personal name Káti + Old English tÅ«n ‘farmstead, settlement’. Alternatively, sometimes a topographic name of Norman origin for someone who lived by a notable tree, from Anglo-Norman French casteyn ‘chestnut tree’.
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Ann Caston 1799-1872
Thomas Caston 1763-1834
Moses Caston -1796
Chapman
Occupational surname referring to someone who was a merchant or trader. It originates from the Old English word 'céap' (meaning 'to barter/trade', also refers to a market) + the word 'man'.
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Edward Chapman c1732-1804
Edward Thomas Chapman 1757-1807
Charlton
Habitational surname referring to someone who came from any one of the many places called Charlton in England. The place name Charlton comes from Old English ceorlatÅ«n meaning ‘settlement of the peasants’.
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John Charlton 1729-1789
Mary Charlton 1809-1853
William Charlton 1771-1839
Christer
Patronymic surname with Scandinavian origins. It is derived from the name Christian, meaning follower of Christ.
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Harriet Pearson Christer 1822-1902
Jane Christer 1802-1870
John Christer c1750-1832
Clapperton
Descriptive surname potentially referring to the word 'clop' (meaning 'lump') and used to refer to a large, ungainly individual. Could alternatively be a habitational name, derived from a place of the same name (e.g. Clapperton Hall in Broxburn, Scotland) but the place name might have been derived from the surname.
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Collyer
​Occupational surname (along with its variant, Collier), referring to an ancestor who was a coal miner/worker or one who dealt with charcoal.
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Crisop
Variant of the surname Crisp, that is peculiar to the Durham/Northumberland areas of England. Crisp is a nickname for a man with curly hair from Middle English crisp/crips/scrip and Old English crisp/cryps (from Latin crispus), reinforced in Middle English by an Old French word also from Latin crispus.
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Rebecca Caroline Crisop 1809-1880
Thomas Crisop c1729-1785
Thomas Crisop 1768-
Dalton
​Habitational suname from any of various places called Dalton in Westmorland, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, and Yorkshire. Dalton means 'valley town' from Old English dæl ‘valley’ + tÅ«n ‘enclosure, settlement’.
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Edward Dalton 1734-1809
John Dalton 1764-1847
John Dalton 1789-1864
Davies
Pronounced 'davis'. Patronymic surname meaning 'son of David'.
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Dungate
Habitational surname peculiar to primarily Kent and Sussex. It likely refers to an ancestor from Danegate in Rotherfield, Sussex. The earliest recorded Dungates hailed from Wadhurst, Sussex and the neighbouring hundred of Brenchley, Kent. ​
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Henry Dungate 1752-1832
Henry Dungate 1844-1894
James Dungate 1792-1875
Mary Ethel Dungate 1887-1984
Robert Dungate 1821-1894
Thomas Dungate 1705-1763
Edmonds
Patronymic surname referring to an ancestor with the Middle English or Older Scots personal name of Edmond (and ultimately from Old English Ä’admund).
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John Edmonds 1701-1769
John Edmonds 1798-1858
Josiah Edmonds 1727-1769
Moses William Edmonds 1858-1930
Thomas Edmonds 1758-1828
William Clarke Edmonds 1829-1904
Fendick
Topographical surname from the Middle English 'fen' (fen marsh) + dik(e) dich(e) (ditch dyke). The surname may be topographic for someone who lived by a drainage dyke in fenlands. It could also be a habitational surname referring to an ancestor from a place so named, such as Thorpe Fendykes, Lincolnshire.
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Charles Fendick 1836-1924
Isaac Fendick 1797-1844
John Fendick 1754-1833
Fletcher
An occupational surname, coming from the French flechier (arrow-maker). It referred to those who added feathers to the shaft of arrows, or made and sold the arrows themselves, and their descendants. Note: Fletcher was an adopted surname by Charles Joseph Fletcher, so we are not ancestrally related to Fletchers.
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Flower
A descriptive surname, deriving from an ancestor called 'flower' as a nickname - perhaps beautiful as a flower, or other trait associated with a flower. The word 'flower' comes from the Middle English word 'flo(u)r ' (meaning: 'flower blossom'). Note: Flower was an adopted surname by Walter George Flower, so we are not ancestrally related to Flowers.
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Alice Mary Flower 1911-1977
Walter George Flower 1876-1944
Gale
English surname with a variety of possible origins. Descriptive surname deriving from the nickname 'gal' 'gale' 'galle', from Anglo-Norman French meaning 'cock' or 'cockerel'. Habitational surname deriving from one of the many places called Gale, or a topographical surname referring to someone who lived near a narrow lane, from Middle English 'gale' 'gail' (from Old Norse 'geil') meaning 'ravine, narrow lane'.
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James Gale 1747-1824
Mary Gale 1826-1899
Richard Gale 1782-1855
Giles
Patronymic surname, from the Middle English personal name 'Giles' or 'Gile', which in turn was a borrowing from Old French 'Gil(l)e(s)'. This is from Latin 'Aegidius' and, prior to that, the Greek 'aigidion', meaning ‘kid young goat’ . Note: DNA evidence has proven we are not ancestrally related to the Giles.
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Gittos
A variant of the surname Gittoes. A patronymic surname, a diminutive of either the Welsh personal name Gethin (from the Celtic word cethin meaning ‘dusky or swarthy’) or Griffith (from the Welsh name Gruffudd).
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Mary Gittos 1773-1847
Thomas Gittos -1786
Greenhalgh
Habitational surname peculiar to Lancashire. The name likely refers to an ancestor from one of two locations in Lancashire called Greenhalgh. The name itself combines combines the Old English words "grēne" (meaning "green") and "holh" (meaning "hollow").
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John Greenhalgh 1795-1876
Gunning
Irish patronymic surname, which evolved from the shortened Anglicised form of the Gaelic 'Ó Conaing', meaning 'descendant of Conaing', a personal name. In County Clare, it was adopted from 'Ó Gamhnáin', meaning 'son of Gamhnán’, a personal name based on a diminutive of gamhna ‘calf'.
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Herbert William Joseph Gunning 1886-1961
Richard Michael Gunning c1854-1895
Harding
Patronymic surname, referring to an ancestor with the Middle English personal name Harding (Old English Hearding, literally 'the hard one' a derivative of Old English heard 'hard, harsh, strong, firm, brave').
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Allen Harding 1809-1883
Robert Harding -1777
Robert Harding 1786-1869
Sarah Harding 1832-1900
William Harding 1752-1804
Ivory
There are several potential origins and meanings, but primarily would refer to an ancestor with this nickname, likely in reference to someone fair of skin. Note: Ivory was an adopted name sometimes used to refer to Helena, so we are not ancestrally related to an Ivory family.
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Jackson
Patronymic surname, referring to the 'son of Jack/John'.
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Harriett Jackson 1814-1903
James Jackson 1780-1858
William Jackson c1748-1829
Jones
Welsh patronymic surname, meaning 'the son of John'.
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Kavanagh
Irish surname. Kavanagh is the Anglicised spelling of Caomhánach, meaning "belonging to St Caomhan". The first Kavanagh, Domhnall Caomhánach (the King of Leinster 1171-1175) was fostered at St Caomhan's abbey.
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Arthur Kavanagh c1796-1876
Margaret Josephine Kavanagh 1861-1931
William Kavanagh c1836-1911
Lane
Topographic surname, referring to someone who lived on a lane, from the Middle English/Old English 'lane'. It originally referred to a narrow way between fences or hedges but the meaning of 'lane' later widened to denote any narrow pathway including one between houses in a town.
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Lee
Topographic surname, referring to someone who lived in a meadow or clearing. The name derives from the Old English word 'lēah', which translates to 'wood or glade'.
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Legg
Descriptive surname, referring to an ancestor with the nickname 'legg', likely a reference to some peculiarity of the leg. From the Middle English 'legg', meaning ‘leg’ (Old Norse leggr).
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Lightwood
Topographical surname, referring to someone from Lightwood in Norton, Derbyshire. The place name derives from Old English lÄ“oht ‘light bright’ + wudu ‘wood’.
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John Lightwood c1742-1822
Sarah Lightwood 1766-1847​
Luckhurst
Topographical surname, referring to an ancestor from the village of Luckhurst in Mayfield (Sussex). This place was first recorded as Lukkars Croche in 1553 and Luckers Crouch in 1823.
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Daniel Luckhurst c1753-1841
Susan Naomi Luckhurst 1804-1885​
Malin
Patronymic surname, referring to the Middle English female personal name Malin, a diminutive of Mall or Mald (Maud).
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Harriet Malin 1825-1859​
James Malin 1784-1847
John Malins c1753-1820
Martin
Our Martin family originates in Ireland. Within the Irish context, Martin is a patronymic surname. It is the anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó Mártain meaning ‘descendant of Martin’. Martin was an extremely popular personal name throughout Europe and ultimately comes from the Latin name Martinus.
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Harriet Martin 1849-1897
James Martin c1822-1891
Lucy Edwards Martin 1866-1946​
Redmond Martin 1798-1863
Mongeham
Habitational surname, referring to someone from the villages of Great and Little Mongeham in Kent, first documented in the 13th century. The place name probably means 'homestead of the people of a person called Mundel'.
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Ann Mongeham 1797-1871
William Mongeham c1768-1848
Morris
Patronymic surname, referring to the personal name 'Maurice' in England and Scotland, an Old French personal name introduced to Britain by the Normans. In some cases it could be descriptive surname, deriving from the nickname for someone with a swarthy complexion.
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George Robert Morris 1834-1911
John Morris 1789-1849
Oliver
Patronymic surname referring to an ancestor named Oliver or Olivier. The personal name Oliver is an old French personal name.
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Alfred Thomas Oliver 1893-1949
James John Oliver 1856-1925
John Oliver 1759-
Thomas Oliver 1782-1860
William Oliver 1825-1880
Oxborough
Habitational surname from the village of Oxborough in Norfolk. The placename derives from Old English oxa ‘ox’ + burg ‘fortified place’.
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Mary Oxborough 1799-1842
Robert Oxborough c1759-1836
Pearson
Patronymic surname with Anglo-Norman roots and referring to those who are the son or descendant of Pierre or Piers (early forms of name Peter).
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Isaac Pearson 1669-
Isaac Pearson 1795-1867
John Pearson 1753-1820
Samuel Pearson 1715-1791
George Peirson c1563-
John Peirson - 1590
Roger Peirson -1658
Roger Peirson 1624-1681
Pittman
Occupational surname referring to an ancestor who worked in a pit or hollow.
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Rose Pittman 1884-1909
Robert Pittman 1848-1929
Charles Pittman c1819-1896
Pratt
Descriptive surname based on a nickname for a clever trickster, from Middle English prat(te), pret meaning ‘cunning, wily, astute’ (a derivative of Old English præt, pret ‘trickery, deception’, which is found in use as a byname in the 11th century).
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Elizabeth Pratt 1782-1868
Nathaniel Pratt 1704-1792
Samuel Pratt -1734
Samuel Pratt 1733-1800
Price
Welsh patronymic surname, coming from the ap-Rhys, meaning 'son of Rhys'.
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Rawlings
Variant of the surname Rawling. Rawling is a patronymic name from Middle English name Raulin, which comes from the Old French Raul, which is a diminutive form of Ralph. ​​
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Ann Rawlings 1846-1915
George Rawlings 1819-1895
Henry Rawlins -1744
Henry Rawlins 1710-1801
James Rawlings 1734-1778
Mary Rawlings 1766-1796
Richard Newman Rawlings 1788-1864
Riches
Variant of the surname Rich that is peculiar to Norfolk and Suffolk. Rich is a descriptive nickname for a wealthy man (or perhaps an ironic nickname for a pauper), or someone who went by the pet name of Rich (short for any of the Norman names beginning in Rich, e.g. Richard and Richer). Could also be a topographic surname meaning someone who lived besides a stream, from the Middle English word for stream, 'riche'.
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Edward Riches c1696-1756
Edward Riches 1758-1792
Sarah Ann Riches 1838-1889
Stephen Riches 1720-1784
Stephen Riches 1785-1869
William Riches 1812-1860
Robbins
Variant on the surname Robin. Patronymic surname, from the personal name Robin, a pet form of Robert.
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Andrew Robbins 1615-
Ann Robbins 1744-1815
Barkingsdale Robbins 1693-1772
Francis Robbins 1654-1728
Humphrey Robbins -1621
William Robbins 1587-
Robinson
Patronymic surname, meaning the 'son of Robin'. The personal name Robin was a pet form of Robert.
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Sarah Robinson 1739-1820
Shaw
Topographical surname referring to someone who lived near the woods. Derived from the Middle English schage, shage, schawe, and shawe, from the Old English sceaga meaning "dweller by the wood". The name could also be a habitational name referring to someone who came from any of the places named after these words.
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James Shaw -1777
Mary Shaw 1797-1879
Rachel Shaw 1776-1842
Thomas Shaw 1730-1801
Shea
Irish patronymic surname hailing from Kerry. It is a shortened form of O'Shea or McShea, anglicised forms of the Gaelic Ó Séaghdha, meaning ‘descendant of Séaghdha’ or Mac Séaghdha, meaning ‘son of Séaghdha’ a byname meaning ‘fine’ or ‘fortunate’.
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Catherine Shea c1832-1882
Edmund Shea 1794-1874
Patrick Shea c1751
Simpson
Patronymic surname, meaning someone who was the son or descendent of a person called Simon, of which the diminutive or pet name is Sim or Simme.
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Mary Ann Simpson 1806-1889
Stagg
Descriptive surname, referring to someone with the nickname of 'stag' or 'stagge', referring to a strong, powerful or virile man, in reference to a stag deer. In northern regions of England, 'stag' 'stagg' also referred to a young horse, especially an unbroken one.
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Obadiah Stagg -1786
Susannah Stagg 1752-1827
Stringer
Occupational surname referring to an ancestor who worked at a string-hearth or furnace. From Middle English strenger, stringer ‘man who worked at a string-hearth or furnace’, synonymous with Stringfellow . The name occurs frequently in districts where iron was smelted in medieval times.
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Sarah Stringer 1754-1844
Triplow
Unusual surname, that could be a variant of Trillo. Trillo is a habitational surname referring to someone from Tirley, Gloucestershire
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Elizabeth Triplow 1799-1870
Joseph Triplow -1818
Trubshaw
Habitational surname, referring to someone from Trubshaw in Newchapel, Staffordshire.
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George Trubshaw 1665-1714
Richard Trubshaw 1625-1672
Richard Trubshaw 1689-1745
Susannah Trubshaw 1744-1837
Thomas Trubshaw -1662
Wheatland
Topographical surname referring to someone living on arable land where wheat was grown. Could also be a habitational surname referring to someone from Whitelands (formerly Whiteland) in Washington, Sussex. Our Wheatland ancestors lived in Sussex.
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John Wheatland -1805
Sarah Wheatland 1778-1842
Wolsey
Variant of the surname Woolsey. Patronymic surname specific to Norfolk, coming from the Middle English personal name Wulsy (Old English Wulfsige, from wulf 'wolf' + sige 'victory').
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Elizabeth Wolsey 1753-1824
Wood
Topographical surname, referring to someone who lived in or near the woods.
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Henry Wood 1778-1861
John Wood -1792
Sophia Wood 1810-1862
Worcester
Topographical surname, referring to an ancestor from the city of Worcester.
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Ada Worcester 1882-1969
Sarah Worcester 1769-
William Gorringe Worcester 1852-1918
William Gorringe Worcester 1789-1862
Worsfold
Habitational surname, probably from a lost place in the west of Sussex or southern Surrey.
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John Worsfold -1810
Kitty Worsfold 1792-1866
Wren
Our Wren family originates in Ireland. Within the Irish context, Wren is a patronymic surname, the anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Rinn, meaning 'descendant of Reann', a personal name possibly derived from reann ‘spear’.
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Catherine Wren c1794-1880