Until the eleventh century English names served as the only source of personal identification, the British did not have a patronymic. People differed simply by name, and three old Anglo-Saxon names of that period - Edith (Edith), Edward (Edward) and Edmund (Edmund) have survived to this day.
Foreign names in England
Most of the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) names that have come down to us are bibasic: Æðelgar - æðele (noble) + gār (spear), Eadgifu - eād (wealth, prosperity, luck, happiness) + gifu, gyfu (gift, gift), Eadweard - eād (wealth, prosperity, luck, happiness) + weard (guardian, guardian).
Old English names were given to newborns at the christening ceremony. Ancient names were given to children depending on the social status of the family. The Norman nobility bore Germanic names - Geoffrey (Geoffrey), Henry (Henry), Ralph (Ralph), Richard (Richard), Roger (Roger), Odo (Odo), Walter (Walter), William (William) and from Brittany - Alan (Alan) and Brian (Brian).
The Normans proposed the idea of forming Old English female names from male- Patrick (Patrick), Patricia (Patricia), Paul (Paul), which are used in England to date. Between 1150 and 1300, the number of names in use began to decline rapidly. By the end of the fourteenth century, most of the male population had one of five names: Henry (Henry), John (John), Richard (Richard), Robert (Robert), William (William).
Women's names in the fourteenth century also did not differ in variety: Alice (Alice), Anne (Anne), Elizabeth (Elizabeth), Jane (Jane) and Rose (Rose). Since the personal name was no longer able to individualize one or another member of society, the use of hereditary surnames began, for example, Richard, son of John (Richard, son of John). This process in London proceeded very slowly, moving down the social ladder from wealthy aristocrats to the poor. In the north of England, even at the end of the sixteenth century, many inhabitants still did not have their own surnames.
In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, New Testament biblical names came into vogue.:
- Andrew.
- John.
- Luke.
- Mark.
- Matthew.
- Peter (Peter).
- Agnes.
- Anne.
- Katherine.
- Elizabeth (Elizabeth).
- Jane.
- Mary
Common names in 18th century England were John, William, and Thomas, and women's names were Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna. In the 19th century, male names were John, William and James, and female names were Mary, Helen and Anna. In the 20th century, the English fashion for names changed significantly every ten years..
Popular English names of the last 500 years
The Office for National Statistics conducted an unusual English family history experiment. She studied over 34 million British and Irish birth records from 1530 to 2005 and identified the 100 most popular male and female names.
English names for men:
- John.
- William (William).
- Thomas (Thomas).
- George.
- James (James).
English female names:
- Mary
- Elizabeth (Elizabeth).
- Sarah.
- Margaret.
- Anna (Ann).
Rare and unusual names
Unusual English names were determined according to the Office for National Statistics of England. Each name on the lists below was established in 2016 from the registration data of children in England. The rare case of the name being used, as it was given to no more than three newborns, confirms the high degree of uniqueness in the context of the whole country.
The rarest English girl names:
- Adalie. Meaning: "God is my refuge, noble one."
- Agape. Meaning: "Love" in ancient Greek.
- birdie. Meaning: "Bird".
- noam. Meaning: "Pleasant".
- Onyx. Meaning: "Claw or nail" in ancient Greek. Black gem.
The rarest English boy names:
- Ajax. Meaning: "Eagle" in ancient Greek mythology.
- Dougal. Meaning: "Dark Stranger" in Gaelic.
- Henderson. Meaning: A traditional English surname.
- Jools. Meaning: Descended from Jupiter.
- marvelous. Meaning: beautiful, beautiful, wonderful. More traditionally, it is the name of a Nigerian girl.
Modern tendencies
Fashion trends for names are in dynamic motion all the time. New names were born, old ones returned from the distant past, gaining again forgotten popularity, and sometimes the British simply borrowed names from other peoples. England has its own characteristics - the fashion for names is also dictated by the royal family. Member names royal family Harry, William, Elizabeth, George are especially popular with the people. In 2017, the National Statistics Service of the United Kingdom ONS published an annual report that provides data on the names of newborns in 2016.
The leader in this list is the name of the boy Oliver (Oliver), and the female leader is Amelia (Amelia). This star couple has been holding this championship since 2013. Although in fact, many believe that in London the male name Muhammad is in the first place. If you carefully analyze the list of the best baby names in England and Wales, it seems that this opinion is true.
Muhammad is an Arabic name and has several spellings, so the name Muhammad appears several times in the statistics given. Muhammad ranked 8th, Mohammed ranked 31st, Mohammad ranked 68th, with a total of 7,084 people. And the name Oliver was given to 6623 newborns, so the obvious advantage of Mohammed over Oliver. Representatives of the ONS attribute such popularity of the Muslim name in England to social changes in the country.
Ahead of the ONS, English parenting website BabyCentr released its official version of the 100 Best Baby Names in 2017. The lists are compiled from a survey of over 94,665 parents of newborns (51,073 boys and 43,592 girls). Olivia again took first place in the nomination of female names. This year, the name Muhammad confidently overtook the name of Oliver, taking a leading position. The site also notes that in England they began to give names that are gender-neutral, for example, the name Harley is almost the same name for male and female children.
The best English female names of 2017:
The best English male names of 2017:
Meanings of English names
Numerous life stories, research results and theories suggest that names help shape a person's personality. Names are certainly not the only force in life that causes a person to develop in a certain way and become a person, but the importance of a name has been noticed since ancient times.
English male names and their meanings
Meanings of English female names
- Olivia (Olivia). This name is in Latin oliva, which means "olive".
- Sophia (Sophia). The legends about her probably arose as a result of the medieval "Hagia Sophia", meaning "Holy Wisdom".
- Amelia (Amelia). Mixture of medieval names Emilia and Amalia. In Latin, it means "industriousness" and "striving." Its Teutonic meaning is "protector".
- Lily (Lily). In English, the meaning of Lily: the lily flower is a symbol of innocence, purity and beauty.
- Emily (Emily). Emily is a female name derived from the Roman female name Aemilia. The Latin name Aemilia, in turn, may come from the Latin word aemulus (or from the same root as aemulus) - this means "rival".
- Ava (Ava). Maybe from the Latin avis, meaning "bird". It can also be a short form of the name Chava ("life" or "living"), the Hebrew form of Eve.
- Isla (Isla). The traditionally used mostly Scottish usage derived from Islay which is the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is also the name of two Scottish rivers.
- Isabella. Variant of Elizabeth, meaning "dedicated to God" in Hebrew.
- Mia (Mia). In Latin, the meaning of the name Mia is a desired child.
- Isabelle. In Hebrew, the meaning of the name Isabelle is dedicated to God.
- Ella (Ella). In English meaning: Eleanor and Ellen's abbreviation is a beautiful fairy.
- Poppy (Poppy). This is a female name from the name of the poppy flower, derived from Old English popæg and referring to various types Papaver. The name is gaining popularity in the UK.
- Freya. In Scandinavia, the meaning of the name is lady. Derived from the name of Freya, the Scandinavian goddess of love and fertility and the mythological wife of Odin.
- Grace (Grace). In English, the meaning of the word is "grace", derived from the Latin gratia, which means the blessing of God.
- Sophie. In Greek, the meaning of the name Sophie is wisdom, wise.
- Evie (Evie) in Hebrew, the meaning of the name Evie: life, live.
- Charlotte. Charlotte is a female name female form masculine name Charlot, a diminutive of Charles. It is of French origin meaning " free man' or 'small'.
- Aria (Aria). Italian - "air". In music, an aria is usually a solo in an opera. In Hebrew it comes from Ariel which means the lion of God and its Teutonic origin is related to the bird.
- Evelyn. In French: From a surname derived from the French Aveline, meaning hazelnut.
- Phoebe. Feminine form of the Greek phoiba (bright), which is derived from phoibo (bright). Phoebe is found in Greek mythology as the name of Artemis, goddess of the moon. In poetry, Phoebe personifies the moon.
Each of us was given a name at birth. However, when we look at our lives, we wonder who we would be if our names were different.
Over the course of many centuries, a system of surnames was formed in England, which is based on the history of the country and individual families, the history of of English language and nationalities. The first ascribed names can be seen in chronicles dating back to the 9th-12th centuries. The first English surnames are most often found in the Domesday Book, but they are presented in the form of nicknames. Representatives of the highest nobility, large landowners and representatives of the clergy were the first to receive ascribed names.
In the era of developed feudalism, XI-XV centuries, the socially distinctive function of ascribed nicknames is significantly enhanced. So, often they began to have a mocking or comic meaning, were ironic, or were a collection of epithets. At the same time, unflattering nicknames appear, sometimes even vulgar ones. Some English surnames have been endowed deep meaning. When the nicknames turned into inherited names is unknown. There is evidence that the representatives of the feudal nobility were the first to receive them.
5 centuries of long formation of the family system
The modern dictionary of English surnames contains a variety of them. Male hereditary nicknames began to spread throughout the UK after the Norman Conquest. The eldest son was left the land as an inheritance, then the nickname of the father-landowner began to be passed on. Studies have shown that the most active inheritance of nicknames occurred in the 12th-14th centuries; in the 15th century, nicknames were inherited everywhere, regardless of class.
There are 3 classes of nicknames, which were divided according to semantics. The first group includes surnames formed from toponyms of English, French, German descent. For example, Richard de Cestersir from the name Cheshire. The second group includes surnames based on proper names, for example, Arnold Williamsone (William, Williamson).
The third group includes common English surnames formed from a common noun (nickname-epithet).
The root base often means either the profession of the founder of the clan, or the name of some animal, or another memorable sign of a person, such as a beard. Such beautiful hereditary nicknames as Baron, Barun, Wilde, Black, Bunch and so on stand out here.
Beauty in English
Beautiful male hereditary names are found in all three groups. The most famous in the first group are represented by surnames - Ford, Breadley, Everset. The list of English surnames contains all the most beautiful family nicknames, both for men and girls. They are listed alphabetically. Surnames no less popular in their beauty are of anthroponymic origin. Everyone has heard such beautiful examples as Robins / Robinson, O'Brion or Adam.
No less beautiful hereditary designations came from nicknames. Here are examples such as Longman, Young, Wolf, Starling, Bulloc and others. It is worth saying that female hereditary nicknames do not differ from male ones. The most popular foreign actresses such as Demi Moore, Sarah Douglas, Saffron Burroughs, Elsa Lanchester and Kelly MacDonald appear to have exactly the same surnames. At first glance, this seems unusual, but the hereditary names of girls are not inclined, as is the case with Russians.
The hereditary name of the girl does not differ from the male
As noted above, the surnames of girls practically do not differ from the surnames of men. The only exception, perhaps, concerns those "nicknames" that have the suffix -son, which means son in translation. Sometimes the mother's surname was also awarded with this suffix. So, according to the father, the surname could end in -son, but for the daughter this ending was reduced to the suffix -s. An example would be the surname Roberts, while it was originally Robertson.
Often, the attributed "nicknames" for women came from proper names without any additions - Constance, Cartwright, Clement, Bruce, and so on.
But toponymic surnames are no exception - Blackwood, Makshera, Kingston and others. Dictionary of English surnames leads full list hereditary names. There may also be family names unusual for Great Britain - Lee, Lo, Lay, Le and Day.
Who was the progenitor of the family?
Male hereditary names can tell not only the history of the family, but also tell who the ancestor was, what appearance he had and what was remembered by the environment. Of course, if the history of the family begins with a major feudal lord, then his last name will most likely indicate this, such as Blackshire, Hoggart, Blomfield, Clifford and others.
Often found among male names and quite unusual - Nash, Neil, Cook, Day, Peacock, Youmanz or Young. It is quite interesting, knowing the meaning of surnames, to correlate them with their owners. An elderly man with the surname Young may well cause a smile. AT modern world the most "demanded" surnames are associated with the personalities with which they are endowed. So, today, many English people wished their last name was Sherlock - in honor of the name of a famous fictional detective.
Beautiful male surnames wear famous actors Kurt Russell, Jack Nicholson, Eric Roberts. At present, it is difficult to say whether American or English roots have certain names, and the origin of English surnames also does not give an answer to this.
Famous owners of interesting surnames
Many famous English people have quite unusual surnames. So, the British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who is gaining his popularity, is distinguished by not the simplest generic name. It is difficult for a Russian person to pronounce it, but for a German it will be easier than ever. The 71st Prime Minister of the State, Margaret Thatcher, also had a far from the most common surname. Today, the once-forgotten names Shakespeare and Fox are increasingly heard.
Among the unusual names, the famous family name Mercury stands out, the surnames Dickens, Cromwell, McCartney, Wilde and Faraday are not inferior in interest to him.
Today in the UK you rarely see the owner of such a name as Pankhurst. Wilberforce, More, Attenborough are also almost forgotten. Today, more and more English surnames are influenced by America. The most popular ones often have American roots. For example, there are a lot of Collins, Blakes, Harrisons and Smiths in the country.
Popularity comes with the owner
Surnames become in demand after the glorification of their owners. So, many strive to get a well-known generic name. The most widespread in the UK are about 25 surnames that are not new. The most common of them: Anderson (son of Anders), Clark, Cooper, Brown, Hill and Carter. As you can see, the root stem came from a common name, in other words, an epithet that an ancestor was endowed with.
Also, the dictionary of English surnames includes a number of other common examples. These include the names Patterson, Spencer, Miller, Morgan, Johnson (John's son), Jones, Jackson, Lee, Taylor, Richardson, and Smith. No less common on English soil are Wilsons, Youngs, Parkers, Martins and Harrisons.
- American
- English
- Jewish
- Italian
- German
- Polish
- Russians
- French
- Japanese
The most common surnames in the USA
Below is a list of the 100 most common surnames in the United States, with the number of carriers, sorted by prevalence in 1990.
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No. Original In Russian
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The most beautiful foreign surnames
How many people, so many opinions. For this reason, it is impossible to say exactly which are ugly and which are beautiful. foreign surnames. All of them contain certain information; when translated into our language, they can mean some kind of craft, the name of plants, animals or birds, belong to a geographical area. Each country has its own euphonious surnames, so you need to choose the best of them for each region separately.
What surnames can be called beautiful?
Most people are proud of their family name, although there are those who are not averse to changing it to a more harmonious one. Each country has its own surnames, but their origin is almost the same. The family received a personal name on behalf of its founder, his nickname, occupation, availability of land, belonging to some kind of status. Also, the names of birds, animals, plants are often found. Nevertheless, we choose the most beautiful foreign surnames according to their euphony, and not according to the meaning of the content, which is not always known to us. In some cases, the name of the genus begins to be liked if its bearer is the idol of millions, a historical figure who has done something good and useful for mankind.
Aristocratic surnames
Noble families always sounded solemn, proud and high-flown. Rich people were proud of their origin and noble blood. Beautiful foreign surnames are mainly found in descendants noble families, you should also include people who left a significant mark on history: writers, artists, designers, composers, scientists, etc. The names of their genera are harmonious, often heard, so people are imbued with sympathy for them.
In England, the names of earls and wealthy nobles can be attributed to the beautiful: Bedford, Lincoln, Buckingham, Cornwall, Oxford, Wiltshire, Clifford, Mortimer. In Germany: Munchausen, Fritsch, Salm, Moltke, Rosen, Siemens, Isenburg, Stauffenberg. In Sweden: Fleming, Yllenborg, Kreutz, Gorn, Delagardie. In Italy: Barberini, Visconti, Borgia, Pepoli, Spoleto, Medici.
Surnames derived from the names of birds, animals, plants
From the world of flora and fauna, many euphonious surnames have come that cause tenderness. Their owners were mainly people who liked certain animals, birds, plants, or they were similar in appearance or character. There are a huge number of such examples in Russia: Zaitsev, Orlov, Vinogradov, Lebedev, there are also in other countries. For example, in England: Bush (bush), Bull (bull), Swan (swan).
Beautiful foreign surnames are often formed on behalf of the ancestor: Cecil, Anthony, Henry, Thomas, etc. A lot of names are associated with a specific area with which the founders were associated: Ingleman, Germain, Pickard, Portwine, Kent, Cornwall, Westley. Of course, a huge group of family names are those associated with professions and titles. Some surnames arose spontaneously. If they evoke positive associations in people, then they can be attributed to beautiful, euphonious and successful, because they are greeted by clothes, so a good generic name helps many people to win over when they meet.
Spanish euphonious surnames
In Spaniards, family names are mostly double, they are connected by particles "y", "de", a hyphen or written with a space. The father's surname is written first, and the mother's surname is written second. It should be noted that the particle "de" indicates the aristocratic origin of the founder. Spanish law provides for no more than two given names and no more than two surnames. When getting married, women usually leave their family names.
Beautiful male foreign surnames are not uncommon for Spaniards. Fernandez is considered one of the most common, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Sanchez, Martinez, Perez are not inferior to her in attractiveness - they all came from names. The harmonious Spanish surnames also include Castillo, Alvarez, Garcia, Flores, Romero, Pascual, Torres.
french beautiful surnames
Among the French names of childbirth, there are often beautiful surnames for girls. Foreign states acquired permanent names at about the same time as Russia. In 1539, a royal decree was issued obliging every Frenchman to acquire a personal name and pass it on to his descendants. The first surnames appeared among the aristocrats, they were passed from father to son even before the issuance of the aforementioned decree.
Today, double family names are allowed in France, and parents can also choose which surname the child will have - mother's or father's. The most beautiful and common French genus names are: Robert, Perez, Blanc, Richard, Morel, Duval, Fabre, Garnier, Julien.
German common surnames
Beautiful foreign surnames are also found in Germany. In this country, they began to form in the Middle Ages. In those days, people had nicknames that consisted of the place of birth of a person and his origin. Such surnames provided comprehensive information about their carriers. Often nicknames indicated the type of activity of a person, his physical shortcomings or virtues, moral qualities. Here are the most popular surnames in Germany: Schmidt (blacksmith), Weber (weaver), Mueller (miller), Hoffmann (yard owner), Richter (judge), Koenig (king), Kaiser (emperor), Herrmann (warrior), Vogel (bird ).
Italian surnames
The first Italian surnames appeared in the 14th century and were common among noble people. The need for them arose when there were many people with the same names, and yet it was necessary to somehow distinguish them. The nickname contained information about the place of birth or residence of a person. For example, an ancestor famous artist Leonardo da Vinci lived in the city of Vinci. Most Italian surnames are formed by the transformation of descriptive nicknames, and they end in a vowel sound. There is an opinion that the most beautiful foreign names and surnames are in Italy, and it’s hard to disagree with this: Ramazzotti, Rodari, Albinoni, Celentano, Fellini, Dolce, Versace, Stradivari.
English beautiful surnames
All English family names can be conditionally divided into four groups: nominal, descriptive, professional and official, by place of residence. The first surnames in England appeared in the 12th century and were the privilege of the nobility, in the 17th century absolutely everyone already had them. The most widespread group is made up of genealogical names of genera derived from personal names, or combinations of the names of both parents. Examples include: Allen, Henry, Thomas, Ritchie. In many surnames there is a prefix "son", meaning "son". For example, Abbotson or Abbot "s, that is, Abbot's son. In Scotland, "son" denoted the prefix Mac-: MacCarthy, MacDonald.
beautiful foreign female surnames often found among English family names derived from the place in which the founder of the family was born or lived. For example, Surrey, Sudley, Westley, Wallace, Lane, Brook. Many euphonious surnames indicate the occupation, profession or title of the founder: Spencer, Corner, Butler, Tailor, Walker. Family names of a descriptive type reflect the physical or moral qualities of a person: Moody, Bragg, Black, Strong, Longman, Crump, White.
All genus names are unique and attractive in their own way. It should be remembered that it is not the surname that paints the person, but the person the surname. Studying the history of the emergence of certain family names is a very interesting and exciting activity, during which many secrets of individual families are revealed. There are beautiful and harmonious surnames in any country, but for each person they are different. Basically, I like those generic names that are consonant with the name.
American Surnames: Origin, Meaning, Popular Male and Female Surnames
When meeting, the very first and most important aspect in the knowledge of the interlocutor is his name and surname. Often people give this not a secondary, but a major significance. Is always beautiful surname draws attention to a person, and in some cases even draws attention to him. Each surname carries the history of more than one century. Consider American surnames.
Surname as "hello" from ancestors
First you need to go back a few centuries and find out where the surnames came from. They didn't always exist. It's hard to believe, but once the dictionary of American surnames did not exist at all, earlier people were called strictly by name. So, in the 7th century, the most polar names in America were: William and Robert, already at the end of the 14th century, 30% of the population of all America was named Robert. After a while, it became difficult to designate a person with only one name, and then nicknames came to the rescue, characterizing the personal qualities of a person, profession, appearance or other differences.
Modern Americans have the nicknames of their ancestors as surnames.
America is a country where immigrants from all over the world are gathered, so it is not strange that American surnames are so colorful, they have their own characteristics that distinguish them from the surnames of other peoples. We can say that modern Americans are 60% of old England, that is, Scots, Irish and English. Over time, they mixed with representatives of the African people, Europeans, and of course, with the indigenous people of America - the Indians.
American surnames were formed in several ways. In the first group, all surnames originated from geographical residence, today this is the largest group, examples of the most obvious surnames associated with the area: Germain, Spain, Norman. There are surnames that come from the names of English counties, for example: Cornish, Cheshire. Some originated from the names of cities and villages: Fife, Westley. The same group includes surnames formed from the type of locality: Moore, Fields.
The second group collected surnames formed from the names of professions and positions. Most of the surnames of this group are associated with agriculture: Hurd Gozzard, Shepherd (from herd - shepherd), etc. The most common American surname, Smith, comes from the blacksmith profession. Here are some more popular examples of the surnames of this group: Brownsmith, Blacksmith, Painter, Fielder, Appleyard.
The third group is no less interesting, she collected surnames based on the nicknames that were given to the owner for some biological feature, for example: Bigg, Strong, High, Gentle, Sweet, Doughty, Black, Red.
The fourth group concentrated surnames derived from the name of the father - Piterson, Jons. And in the fifth group, surnames based on the mapping of the area: Rok, Pus.
Surnames such as: Bush, Fish and others of the kind originated from common nouns.
It was difficult for visitors, whose names were changed in an English way. First of all, surnames with non-English origin were changed to easier ones in pronunciation and spelling. Thus, complex foreign surnames turned into native ones for America. For example: the complex surname Wienersky turned into Vinar, and Belo acquired the popular pronunciation today - Bellows.
Native Americans - Indians, at first did not have a family nickname at all, but when it came time to take it, they took any European ones they liked without remorse, so in most cases, their surnames do not carry any meaning or historical origin. Modern black Americans have completely lost their individual and unique names, and all because of the fact that the ancestors considered American names more beautiful. The matter did not end with the names, the surnames were also borrowed.
Representatives of the Spanish race acted exactly the opposite, they just slightly corrected their surnames in a convenient American way, without fundamentally changing the root of the surname. The Spaniards were almost the only ones who retained their national surnames. To date, people from Africa are also working on this.
Gift from ancestors
What foreign people think is beautiful, in English may have absolutely no effect. beautiful meaning, so for example: Smith - blacksmith, Price - price, Fell - fall, Fats - fat man, they sound interesting, and the translation is not too refined. Here is a list of the really most beautiful American surnames:
- Appelgold - golden apple;
- Goldenrose - golden rose;
- Floretsen - flower;
- Redpetas - red petal;
- Kingsman - male king;
- King - king.
The right to female surnames
Americans have been working for a long time to ensure that female surnames have the right to exist, such surnames include: Williams, Johnson, Davis, Brown, Smith, Miller, Taylor, Moore.
But for the most part, all beautiful female surnames completely and completely coincide in form with male ones, so it is not possible to single out separate “second names” for beautiful ladies.
Surname with a masculine character
In America, surnames are passed only through the male line. This means that the resettled emigrants are able to preserve national distinctions, but after a while, the female branch disappears, washing away the trace of the surname.
American surnames are considered masculine, since many immigrants from former countries did not have a division into female and male.
Today, Americans can form a surname from their first name and a family name, they can also make a surname from two names. Sometimes Americans just use their initials without using full names at all.
Speaking surnames
In America, unlike European countries, if a person has a funny or strange surname, he may never hear a single humorous statement addressed to him in his life, and all because many people have such surnames and no one pays attention to this. Below are not all common American surnames, you can look at the dictionary of American surnames, which has the entire list.
- Bunnysman - hare;
- Bierdes - a bird;
- Kitten - kitten;
- Little - small;
- Peaches - peach;
- Gosling - gosling;
- Hitchcock - hitch - limp, cock - rooster;
- Stone - stone;
- Blunt - blunt - dull, stupid;
- Potter - potter - potter;
- Riddle - riddle - riddle;
- Miller - miller;
- Catchpole - a person who collects taxes;
- Sailor - sailor;
- Fisher is a fisherman.
In addition, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the most popular American surnames in alphabetical order. Information taken from the Dictionary of American Surnames:
Adams - Adams
Allen - Allen
Alexander - Alexander
Brown - Brown
Baker - Baker
Black - Black
Brooks - Brooks
Bush - Bush
Carroll - Carroll
Charleson - Charleson
Crossman - Crossman
Duncan - Duncan
Davidson - Davidson
Dickinson Dickinson
Day - Day
Enderson - Anderson
Edwards - Edwards
Evans - Evans
Fane - Fane
Forster - Forster
Garrison - Garison
Gilbert - Gilberd
Goldman - Goldman
Goodman - Goodman
Hancock - Hankon
Johnson - Johnson
Kelly - Kelly
L
Lamberts - Lamberts
lawman - broken
Marlow - Melrow
Miller - Miller
Miers - Myers
Mercer - Mercer
Nelson - Nelson
Nicholson - Nicholson
Nyman - Nyman
Nash - Our
Oldman - Oldman
Oliver - Oliver
Owen - Owen
Ogden - ogden
Page - Page
Parson - Parson
Peacock - Peacock
Philips - Philips
Porter - Porter
Ramacey- Ramzin
Richards - Richards
Roger - Roger
Russell - Russell
Salomon - Salamon
Shackley
Simpson - Simpson
Sykes
Taylor
Thomson - Thomson
Tracey - Tracey
Walkman - Walkman
Walter Walter
White
Youmans - Youmans
Young
Types of surnames by origin
- American
- English
- Jewish
- Italian
- German
- Polish
- Russians
- French
- Japanese
What are English surnames. Only beautiful, long and rare
†Reekay†
A
Abramson
adamson
Adderiy
Addington
Adrian
Albertson
Aldridge
Allford
Alsopp
Anderson
Andrews
Archibald
Arnold
Arthurs
Atcheson
Attwood
Audley
Austin
Ayrton
B
babcock
backer
Baldwin
Bargeman
Barnes
Barrington
Bawerman
Becker
Benson
Berrington
Birch
Bishop
Black
Blare
Blomfield
Boolman
Bootman
Bosworth
Bradberry
Bradshaw
Brickman
Brooks
Brown
Bush
C
Calhoun
Campbell
Carey
carrington
Carroll
carter
Chandter
Chapman
Charleson
Chesterton
Clapton
Clifford
Coleman
conors
Cook
Cramer
Creighton
Croftoon
Crossman
D
Daniels
Davidson
day
Dean
Derrick
Dickinson
Dodson
Donaldson
Donovan
Douglas
Dowman
dutton
Duncan
Dunce
Durham
Dyson
E
Eddington
Edwards
Ellington
Elmers
Enderson
Erickson
Evans
F
Faber
Fane
farmer
Farrell
Ferguson
Finch
Fisher
Fitzgerald
Flannagan
Flatcher
Fleming
Ford
Forman
Forster
Foster
Francis
Fraser
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J
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James
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jenkin
Jerome
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Jones
K
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Kelly
kendal
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Kennett
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L
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Lamberts
Larkins
Lawman
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Little
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Longman
M
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mason
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Miller
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N
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O
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old man
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T
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V
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Y
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B
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Barnes
Barrington
Bawerman
becker
Benson
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bradshaw
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faber
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fraser
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Gilbert
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Gilmour
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H
Haig
Hailey
Humphrey
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Hardman
Harrison
Hawkins
Higgins
Hodges
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Holmes
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J
Jacobson
James
Jeff
jenkin
Jerome
Johnson
Jones
To
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laird
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livingston
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18.7k (33 in a week)
English names and surnames, which are now known to the whole world, have come a long historical way. There are over 45,000 family names in England and each has its own history.
The sources of surnames are very different: nicknames, physical qualities, countries, crafts, heraldic symbols and almost any object familiar to mankind. When creating a family tree, all these sources are carefully processed.
Before the conquest of Britain by the Normans, the locals did not have surnames that were inherited. They were called by name or nickname. Many families and people at some time changed or adopted other surnames brought by the Normans. Most of the Saxon and Celtic names, like Oslaf, Oslak, Oswin and Osvey (Os means God), disappeared shortly after the Norman conquest.
When the communities were small, it was easy to recognize everyone by name, but the population grew, and it became necessary to add some identifying features to the name, for example, John the butcher, William the short, Henry of Sutton ( Henry from Sutton), Mary of the wood, Roger son of Richard. Over time, many surnames have been distorted, and now their primary meaning is not so easy to notice.
After 1066, everyone began to actively assign surnames, so the names of crafts and the names of fathers became familiar to us now English surnames. For example, Fletcher (one who flies arrows), Smith (blacksmith), Redhead (redhead), Swift (fast), Green (green), Pickering, Wilkins and Johnson (John's son). 
New English surnames continued to form long after 1400, as immigrants flooded in and brought in new ones. Many Irish, Welsh and Scottish names changed to English after 1536.
The surname may also come from places, such as Lancaster, or occupations, Weaver (weaver). Another source of origin of surnames from the names of Collins, Williams.
Surnames derived from places are the most ancient and most common. There are a lot of sources for this: the names of cities, localities, estates, etc. Other surnames contain parts of nature: hills (hill), forests (wood), rivers, etc. The surnames French, Beamish, Britten, Fleming, Hannay originated from the names of the countries. Janeway, Mor. Interesting fact that such surnames as Blackmore, Maurice, Morish and Mountmorris are derived from More. Other surnames come from the word "boro" - Bari, Burg, Burke, Burke, Borrow.
Parts of the landscape gave birth to such names: Hill, Hull, Athill, Holt, Wold, Knoll, Knollys, Knollh, Ness, Sykes (marshy stream). Also from the forest (wood) derivatives: Wood, Woods, Greenwood ( green Forest), Woodman, Woodroof, Woodcutter (lumberjack) and Attwood. From trees: Leaf (leaf), Bark (bark), Ruth (root), Elms (elm), Maples (maple). Oak alone gave a large number of surnames: Oakley, Oakerley, Noakes, Oakem, Ockham and many others.
A huge proportion of surnames fall on professions and crafts: Wright (master), Taylor (tailor), Turner (turner), Cook (cook), Chapman (shop owner), Goldsmith (jeweler), Potter (potter), Porter (porter), Thatcher (roofer), Fisher (fisherman), Carpenter (carpenter), Slater (roofer) and many others.
A large number of names and surnames came from military professions: Knight (knight), Squire, Archer and Bowman (archer) and others. From church ranks: Pope (dad), Bishop (bishop), Monk (monk).
Many surnames originate from nicknames. For example, Fox (fox), White (white), Nice (cute), Weilgus ( wild goose), Kat (cat), Sparrow (sparrow), Armstrong ( strong hands), Slowman (slow man), Smallman ( small man), Blunt (blonde), Hood (good), Black, Blake.
English names have also undergone historical development. Female English names in Old English were popular Gwenhilda, Godgifu, Gunnhilda, Edith. Old English male names - Goodwin, Wolsey, Dodd, Tookey, Quennel, Edmund, Cuthbert.
Norman names were further popularized. Male English names: William, Robert, Richard, Hugh, Maud, John, Adam, Thomas, Philip, Peter, Oliver, Abraham, Isaac, Samuel, Abigail. Women: Alice, Margaret, Mary, Cecilia, Olivia, Grace, Charity, Prudence.
These days the most popular names for boys in Britain are Jack, Oliver, Charlie, Harry, Alfie, Thomas, Joshua, William, James and Daniel. Girls: Olivia, Ruby, Sophie, Chloe, Emily, Grace, Jessica, Lily, Evie and Amelia.
Less popular male names: Luka, Kayden, Evan, Joel, Sebastian, Zach, Ellis, Bradley, Christopher, Josh, Billy. Female: Zoe, Eleanor, Amelie, Julia, Eve, Maya, Darcy, Abby, Heidi, Courtney, Florence.
The most common English surnames are: Smith, Jones, Williams, Brown, Taylor, Davis, Wilson, Evans, Thomas, Johnson, Roberts, Walker, Wright, Robinson, Thomson, Hughes, Edwards, Green.
The English names of cities and places have a certain history. Many names appeared after the Roman conquest. These words contain "caster" and "chester" from the Latin castra - camp, for example, Lancaster, Colchester, Winchester.
From Anglo-Saxon, such endings as “ton”, “burg”, “borough”, “take” and “ham” appeared, for example, Sutton, Edinburgh, Marlborough, Kerterbury. And also such words as "church", "field", "bridge", "hill", "ford", "land", "head", "mout", "stone", "three" and "led" were added. From the Normans, the English received the suffixes "ville", "pont", "shire" and "mont".
established in late XVIII in. the American nation is very heterogeneous and at the moment combines not only the descendants of immigrants from all parts of the world, but also indigenous people- Indians. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the surnames and names of the inhabitants of the United States, one can trace various national roots: European, African, South American, Asian. These features often make American surnames and names so interesting and exotic.
How are they formed?
basis for many modern surnames became nicknames, including Indian ones. Also, quite often, surnames were formed from the names of professions (Smith, Miller, Taylor), geographical places (England, Lancaster) and objects (Bush, Rock, Moore), father's name (Johnson, Stevenson) and just names (Stuart, Williams, Henry) , as well as animals, flowers and various objects (Fish, White, Rose, Young).
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a tendency to change hard-to-pronounce national surnames: reductions, translations, transformations in order to make them look like English-speaking ones. But in recent decades, the reverse process has been observed: the desire for one's national and cultural identity, which is manifested in the rejection of the Americanization of names and surnames. This is especially true for people from African countries, Spain and Latin America. Modern American surnames and names increasingly emphasize the origin of a person.
Also a very common phenomenon is the invention of pseudonyms. Most often they are taken by creative personalities: musicians, actors, artists.
American names, male and female, are often abbreviated in everyday communication. Examples: Adam - Ed; Gilbert - Gil; Michael - Mike; Robert - Rob, Bob, Bobby, Robbie; Richard - Dick, Richie; Arnold - Arnie; Eleanor - Ellie, Nora; Elizabeth - Lizzy, Liz, Elsa, Betty, Bet; Katherine - Kathy, Kat. Young guys (and even mature men) are often referred to by their initials. For example, a man named T.J. Morris most of the acquaintances will probably call TJ.
As in English, American male and female surnames sound exactly the same. In official communication, addresses are accepted by last name with the prefixes "Mr" or "Sir" to men, and to women "Miss" or "Mrs."
Women's names
The top ten names of girls most beloved by American parents include Isabella, Sophia, Emma, Olivia, Ava, Emily, Abigail, Madison, Chloe, Mia.
Women's names are often formed from the names of beautiful plants or precious stones. Examples: Rose, Daisy, Olive, Evie (Ivy), Lilly, Violet, Ruby, Beryl, Jade, etc.
Male names
According to statistics, most often American parents call boys Jacob, Ethan, Michael, Jayden, William, Alexander, Noah, Daniel, Aiden, Anthony.
There is a strong tradition to name in honor of the father or grandfather. In this case, the word "junior" (junior) or the serial name is added to the name: second, third, etc. For example: Anthony White Junior, Christian Bell II.
American male names are often consonant with surnames (White, Johnson, Davis, Alexander, Carter, Neil, Lewis, etc.). And all because once both of them were formed from nicknames.
Most Popular American Surnames
More than two million people in the United States have the surnames Smith and Johnson. With slightly more modest results (over a million people), the owners of the surnames Williams, Jones, Brown, Davis and Miller follow. Rounding out the top ten are Wilson, Moore and Taylor.
The most beautiful American surnames and names
Of course, they don’t argue about tastes, but you can still select a list of the most euphonious and even poetic names. Some of them were specially formed from suitable English words: Summer - "summer", Joy - "joy", May - "May", Love - "love", Hart - "heart", etc.
- Alisha.
- Bonnie.
- Vanessa.
- Gladys.
- Jade.
- Imogen.
- Cassandra.
- Lillian.
- Miriam.
- Nancy.
- Olivia.
- Pamela.
- Sabrina.
- Tess.
- Heidi.
- Angie.
- Alex.
- Brandon.
- Darren.
- Kyle.
- Mitchell.
- Nicholas.
- Peter.
- Ronald.
- Stephen.
- Walter.
- Fraser.
- Hunter.
- Charlie.
- Sheldon.
- Adrian.
There are not only beautiful American names, but also surnames.
For example:
- Beverly.
- Washington.
- Green.
- Crawford.
- Aldridge.
- Robinson.
- Stone.
- Florence.
- Wallace.
- Harris.
- Evans.
In general, names and surnames in the USA have different origins: Smith, Will - English; Miller, Brunner, Martha - German; Gonzalez, Federico, Dolores - Spanish; Magnus, Sven - Swedish; Peterson, Jensen - Danish; Patrick, Donovan, O'Brien, McGill - Irish; Mario, Ruth - Portuguese; Isabella, Antonio, de Vito - Italian; Paul, Vivien - French; Li is Chinese, etc. Combinations are not uncommon when the name is purely American, and the surname has a national flavor. Or vice versa. For example: Martha Roberts, Brandon Lee, etc.
The more you study American surnames and names, the more interesting discoveries you can make. In addition, the American nation is still being formed, so it is possible that soon new unusual and beautiful names of various origins will appear in the everyday life of the inhabitants of this country.
Common features of American surnames.
History of American Surnames is as rich as the heterogeneous population of the US, a nation of immigrants. Essentially, an American surname can reveal its "affinity" with any nation. And yet, the core of the American nation are English speakers (Scots, Irish, English, Welsh), who mixed with other peoples, which largely determined the characteristics of American surnames. A common feature of American surnames is that they do not differ in gender and are essentially masculine. As for the spelling and pronunciation of American surnames in Russian, they obey the laws of Russian spelling. That is, declension of american surnames corresponds to the rules of declension of Russian surnames.
The dominant role of English-speaking surnames.
Interpretation of American surnames the most varied. According to the meaning, American surnames can be divided into five main groups. One includes surnames that originated from the names of the father (Peterson, Williams). Others are based on the name of the profession in which the first bearer of the surname was engaged (Smith, "blacksmith"). large group American surnames are associated with place names (England, Lancaster). Some surnames reflect the features of the area (Pool, "reservoir, whirlpool"). Quite a few American surnames were born from common nouns - Bush ("bush"), Fish ("fish"). Surnames of non-English-speaking Americans are forced to constantly adjust to the usual sound in the country in order to match the facilitated spelling and easy pronunciation. Some surnames are simply abbreviated (Pappadakis-Pappas, Vinareski-Vinar). Others are being translated into English (Köning-King). Still others are remade in an English way (Cartier-Carter, White-Bellowes). However, some surnames retained their national meaning and not influenced American surnames. For example, Spanish surnames if they have changed, it is insignificant.
Surnames of Indians and Africans.
Surnames of Native American Indians have historically been formed on the basis of personal names and nicknames. But if you look dictionary of american surnames, you can see that there are very few of them. Now most Indians have common American surnames. The same goes for African American surnames. In the course of history, they gradually lost their unique names and subsequently began to take familiar American surnames. True, recently the descendants of immigrants from Africa are trying to give their surnames a national flavor.
The alphabetical list of American surnames shows that a certain part of Americans invent fictitious, sonorous surnames for themselves, which are remembered for their originality and help their carriers stand out.
List of common American surnames will help you find out which surnames are the most popular in America (USA).
The most popular American surnames and their meanings
We present to your attention a list of the most popular American surnames.
Smith– Smith
Johnson— Johnson
Williams– Williams
Jones– Jones
Brown– Brown
Davis– Davis
Miller– Miller
wilson– Wilson
Moore– Moore
Taylor– Taylor
Anderson– Anderson
Thomas– Thomas
Jackson– Jackson
White– White
Harris– Harris
Martin– Martin
Thompson– Thompson
Garcia– Garcia
Martinez– Martinez
Robinson– Robinson
Clark–Clark
Rodriguez– Rodriguez
Lewis– Lewis
Lee– Lee
walker– Walker
Hall– Hall
Allen– Allen
Young– Young
Hernandez– Hernandez
King– King
wright– Wright
Lopez– Lopez
Hill– Hill
Scott– Scott
Green– Green
Adams– Adams
Baker– Baker
Gonzalez– Gonzalez
Nelson– Nelson
carter– Carter
Mitchell– Mitchell
Perez– Perez
Roberts– Roberts
Turner– Turner
Phillips– Phillips
Campbell– Campbell
Parker– Parker
Evans– Evans
Edwards– Edwards
Collins– Collins