Having a minimal understanding of English surnames is important if only not to get into an awkward situation when communicating with a foreigner. And also this information will not be superfluous for those who plan to change their last name, because today there are absolutely no obstacles to this.
Material Content:
Analysis of the origin of English surnames
The emergence of surnames passed from father to children is closely related to the development of the economy and culture. For centuries, people had only proper names, and there was no particular need for inherited names. Even in the fourteenth century, no distinctive characteristics were added to the name. In those cases when someone needed to be distinguished among people with identical names, they resorted to nicknames.
Namely the nicknames in the end formed the basis of part of the names.
Most of the names that occurred in England are divided by researchers into four large groups:
- patronymic;
- by the name of the place of residence;
- by profession;
- descriptive.
Patronymic surnames are associated with the names of patron gods. As a rule, these are the gods who were worshiped in the territory of modern England before the Norman Conquest. The second largest group refers to the place of residence of the ancestors-ancestors. This includes not only those names that refer to the name of a particular country or city, but also those that were formed from the peculiarities of the local relief, for example, Hill, Cliff. Professional surnames are also widespread.
The composition of 20% of the popular male English surnames includes the names of professions and positions. It is noteworthy that most of them are related to agriculture, handicraft production and the service of royal people.
Descriptive nicknames and surnames reflected noticeable physiological and spiritual characteristics of the carrier. For example, the well-known surname Armstrong happened on this basis. The influence of the distinctive features of a person on his nickname in the 11th-15th centuries is especially enhanced. It was in those days that a number of ironic and even vulgar nicknames appeared, which then became not the most euphonious surnames. Other surnames are endowed with a deep meaning, because their ancestors became famous for their wisdom.
It is unknown when exactly nicknames became inherited. But judging by official information, it was the representatives of the royal families and the feudal nobility who were the first to receive real names.
Some surnames can be formed as a result of several processes simultaneously. For example, the surname Legg can be both a reflection of the profession of its carrier - a stocking merchant, and can come from the nickname of a clever sneak.
Female surname options
Modern surnames are not divided into male and female, but there were some differences in their origin.
The most significant is connected with surnames formed by the suffix –son (“son”). This suffix was added to the father's name. Thus, the son of John was nicknamed Johnson.
To call a daughter in the same way in the old days was considered strange. It is for this reason that surnames with the suffix –s arose. It was down to him that he was reduced to sleep. So Johnson was reduced to Jones.
Other examples of similar surnames:
- Roberts;
- Constance;
- Bruce
- Richards.
Otherwise, English female surnames do not differ from male ones. They are not inclined, which must be taken into account when speaking of beautiful surnames for girls in non-Slavic languages, because they will coincide with those worn by men.
Male English last names
Popular male English surnames are able to open the veil of secrecy over the life of ancestors. They can talk about the qualities of distant relatives, their place of residence, even appearance. For example, surnames such as Clifford and Blackshire indicate that the ancestor was a large feudal lord.
Unusual surnames such as Neil, Cook, Young are also found in England. Moreover, they can be worn by native English, in whose blood there is no mixing with Asians or other people from distant lands. The clue is usually very simple. Such surnames were given to individuals who were strongly distinguished by some properties: the nickname Young could be given to a mobile, “forever young” person.
Also, some surnames are associated with “demand”. For example, at some point, many British tried to change their name to Sherlock in honor of the famous fictional detective.
The most popular and common surnames
Each year, the order of surnames in the ratings of popular surnames can change, but the most common ones are:
- Smith
- Johnson;
- Anderson;
- Brown
- White;
- King
- Hill
- Carter
- Cooper;
- Miller
- Baker
- Taylor
From which it is clear that the most popular English surnames and their meanings again return us to ancient professions (Taylor, Smith, Baker, Miller), the external signs of the ancestors of the English (Brown, White). Part of it refers to the place of residence of the person from whom the clan began.
But a similar picture has developed relatively recently. Other names such as Attenborough and Pestilence were previously common. But today they are almost forgotten, and are not perceived as primordially English.
Even in surnames, the inevitable influence of America is felt. Because in England there are so many Collins and Blakes that take their roots in the United States.
Beautiful surnames of England
There are many beautiful English surnames of each type indicated in the first paragraph of the article. Most of them are harmonious, because even the most vulgar ones came from Old English or Middle English words, which have changed a lot and today are almost unrecognizable.
The most beautiful of the names that are always on hearing:
- Starling
- Bullock
- O’Brien;
- Taylor
- Parker;
- Miller
- Robins / Robinson;
- Winter;
- Jacobs / Jacobson.
Thus, the main reasons for the origin of English surnames are belonging to the names, profession or position, external data or character traits, place of residence. After studying the statistics, the conclusion suggests itself that the most common in the UK are precisely those names that are formed from nicknames according to external or internal data, then the names at the place of residence follow, and after that they are professional and only then patronymic.
