Have you ever wondered just what your surname means?
A surname, also known as a last name or family name, is a fixed name shared in common with the members of a family and is passed down from generation to generation. The use of a surname is relatively new in history and was adopted in order to legally distinguish two individuals with the same first name. At first, these last names were not passed down to the next generation.
Often, family names provide clues as to what your ancestors might have done for a living, what they might have looked like, or where they might have lived or come from.
Here are a few of our more recent family names and their possible meanings:
Thurman--derives from the Old Norse name "Thormond". This name means Thor's protection, referring to the old Scandinavian god Thor. For an ancient Norseman who worshipped Thor, this would have been a good, solid name. We know that our Thurman ancestors came to America from Ireland, so I can deduce that at some point, some of our ancestors were probably involved in the early Norse invasions of the British Isles.
Hughes--this is an old french personal name brought to the British Isles by the Normans after 1066. It has an even earlier Germanic origin, meaning "of the heart or mind". You can see where the word "hug" comes from. Hugh was common as a given name in the Isles in the 1100's due to the popularity of St. Hugh of Lincoln. Hugh also has a second Welsh origin, deriving from the Celtic "Hu" or "Huw", meaning fire or inspiration. More simply, it probably most often was used as a patronymic to mean "son of Hugh". A man with a father named Hugh might have taken "Hughes" as a surname.
Stephens--this name is another patronymic, a name referring to one's father. It means "son of Stephen."
Walston--English, a habitational name meaning one from Walsden, a place in West Yorkshire.
McDaniel--this is a corruption of the Irish McDonnell, or, ‘son of Donal’, from an incorrect association of the Gaelic patronymic with the personal name Daniel. More specifically, the surname McDaniel appeared as a Scottish clan or family in the territory of County Antrim, Ireland. The MacDaniels were gallowglasses (soldiers of fortune) to the powerful Chiefs of Northern Ireland and Ulster about the 14th century. McDaniel and McDonnell, and their variants, seemed to be used somewhat interchangeably even up until the 1900's. Mc or Mac is a patronymic originating in Scotland and Ireland, meaning "son of." So literally, McDaniel simply means "son of Daniel."
Gaston--this name means "a man from Gascony," which is a region in southern France. Our Gaston ancestors were Huguenots who fled Catholic France for Scotland, and later Ireland, after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 when Protestantism was outlawed.
Bates--most likely another patronymic, meaning "son of Bartholomew," which was often shortened to "Bat." English.
Rone--an English name with at least three possible meanings: "the little red one", of Gaelic origin and derived from Roan; "the rowan tree", of Norse origin, meaning perhaps someone who lived by the rowan tree; or it could refer to someone from Rouen, in Normandy (France).
Finch--another English name of Norman origin. In the Middle Ages this bird had a reputation for stupidity and the name may have been given to a simple-mided person. It may also be an occupational name for someone who caught finches and sold them as songsters or for the cooking pot. The surname is found in all parts of Britain but is most common in Lancashire.
A surname, also known as a last name or family name, is a fixed name shared in common with the members of a family and is passed down from generation to generation. The use of a surname is relatively new in history and was adopted in order to legally distinguish two individuals with the same first name. At first, these last names were not passed down to the next generation.
Often, family names provide clues as to what your ancestors might have done for a living, what they might have looked like, or where they might have lived or come from.
Here are a few of our more recent family names and their possible meanings:
Thurman--derives from the Old Norse name "Thormond". This name means Thor's protection, referring to the old Scandinavian god Thor. For an ancient Norseman who worshipped Thor, this would have been a good, solid name. We know that our Thurman ancestors came to America from Ireland, so I can deduce that at some point, some of our ancestors were probably involved in the early Norse invasions of the British Isles.
Hughes--this is an old french personal name brought to the British Isles by the Normans after 1066. It has an even earlier Germanic origin, meaning "of the heart or mind". You can see where the word "hug" comes from. Hugh was common as a given name in the Isles in the 1100's due to the popularity of St. Hugh of Lincoln. Hugh also has a second Welsh origin, deriving from the Celtic "Hu" or "Huw", meaning fire or inspiration. More simply, it probably most often was used as a patronymic to mean "son of Hugh". A man with a father named Hugh might have taken "Hughes" as a surname.
Stephens--this name is another patronymic, a name referring to one's father. It means "son of Stephen."
Walston--English, a habitational name meaning one from Walsden, a place in West Yorkshire.
McDaniel--this is a corruption of the Irish McDonnell, or, ‘son of Donal’, from an incorrect association of the Gaelic patronymic with the personal name Daniel. More specifically, the surname McDaniel appeared as a Scottish clan or family in the territory of County Antrim, Ireland. The MacDaniels were gallowglasses (soldiers of fortune) to the powerful Chiefs of Northern Ireland and Ulster about the 14th century. McDaniel and McDonnell, and their variants, seemed to be used somewhat interchangeably even up until the 1900's. Mc or Mac is a patronymic originating in Scotland and Ireland, meaning "son of." So literally, McDaniel simply means "son of Daniel."
Gaston--this name means "a man from Gascony," which is a region in southern France. Our Gaston ancestors were Huguenots who fled Catholic France for Scotland, and later Ireland, after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 when Protestantism was outlawed.
Bates--most likely another patronymic, meaning "son of Bartholomew," which was often shortened to "Bat." English.
Rone--an English name with at least three possible meanings: "the little red one", of Gaelic origin and derived from Roan; "the rowan tree", of Norse origin, meaning perhaps someone who lived by the rowan tree; or it could refer to someone from Rouen, in Normandy (France).
Finch--another English name of Norman origin. In the Middle Ages this bird had a reputation for stupidity and the name may have been given to a simple-mided person. It may also be an occupational name for someone who caught finches and sold them as songsters or for the cooking pot. The surname is found in all parts of Britain but is most common in Lancashire.
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