Your Surname: What Does It Mean ?

[FretfulGnome]

This is obviously in no way proof of my ancestory, but here goes...

This interesting surname is of early medieval English origin, and has two possible sources, the first being from the Norman personal name "Rol(l)ant", composed of the Germanic elements "hrod", renown, and "land", land, territory. The personal name was popular throughout Europe in the Middle Ages as a result of the fame of one of Charlemagne's warriors, who bore this name. The second source is locational from places so called in Derbyshire and Sussex; the name is derived from the Old Norse "ra", roebuck, and "lundr", wood, grove; thus, "wood of the roebuck". Locational surnames were developed when former inhabitants of a place moved to another area, usually to seek work, and were best identified by the name of their birthplace. The modern surname can be found as Rowland, Rol(l)and, Rolance, Rowlands and Rollons. Recordings from Derbyshire Church Registers include: the marriage of Humfridus Rowland and Johana Hadfield, on August 25th 1604, at Baslow, and the marriage of Anthony Rowland and Ann Pirson on January 7th 1715, at Eyam. Coats of Arms were granted to Rowland families at Carew, in the Isle of Anglesea; in Shropshire; at Saxonbury Lodge, Frant in Sussex; and at Egham and Barnes in Surrey, which depicts a silver pile wavy on a black shield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Simon Rolland, which was dated 1218, witness in the "Assize Court Rolls of Lincolnshire", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

 

[similar.squirrel]

'Of the Hemp' being a literal meaning, I think. Such a stoner name..=/

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

Deering

It's an archaic English word for deer hunting. Presumably one of my British ancestors made his living doing that.

 

[I Resurection I]

To sum up I'm awsome

This most interesting surname is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname "O'Rioghbhardain", a numerous sept found exclusively in Munster. The Gaelic name itself is composed of the Gaelic prefix "O", male descendant of, and "Rioghbhardan", a byname composed of the Gaelic elements "riogh", royal and "bhard", a bard, poet. The surname is also found as Rearden and O'Riordan. The sept of O'Riordan originated in Co. Tipperary, and migrated to Co. Cork at such an early date they can be regarded as belonging to that county, where they are far more numerous than anywhere else. They gave their name to Ballyreardon in East Cork, which indicates that they were influential in this area, where they were followers of the lords of Muskerry. Several Co. Cork O'Riordans appear as Irish soldiers in the 17th Century. MacFirbis mentions a family of "O'Riordan", who were historians of Eile, but little is known of these. A branch of the O'Riordans, from Derryroe, Cork, settled in Nates in 1753 and became Peers of France. Michael Riordan, aged 22 yrs., was an Irish famine immigrant, who left Cork on the "Liberty" for New York on May 21st 1846. A Coat of Arms was granted to the family depicting quarterly: first and fourth, red out of clouds in the sinister side a dexter arm fessways proper, holding a dagger in pale silver pommel and hilt gold; second and third, silver, a lion rampant red against a tree in the dexter couped proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Domhnall O' Rioghthardain, which was dated 1658, in the "All Ireland Census", during the reign of Richard Cromwell, known as "The Lord Protector", 1658 - 1659. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

 

[Mcupobob]

Lewis-

throughout Europe this great and ancient name is generally accepted as being of pre 5th century Frankish origins. It derives from the personal name "Hludwig", composed of the elements "hlud", meaning loud or famous, plus "wig", battle.

 

[Cmwissy]

My full name means 'The Hooked nose of MacFie'

<3 my Scottish Father, I feel like Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Just with a more creepy name.


EDIT: just found my Clans old song we sung in War back in the medieval ages.

Spoiler: Really Big Poem, Awesome though

In the west you?ll still find them
Tumbled and grey
The hearthstones they left
When our kin sailed away
Families with children
And some on their own
Left from the Island
Where they were born.

Across the world
The seed was sown
In lands they now love
And call their own
In the spell of time
Home ties remain
The letters may change
But the old name?s the same.

And even now
From far away
The dream persists
Of Colonsay.

An Echo of Pibroch
A soft touch of rain
And the road to the island
Beckons again
The sands of Kiloran
A walk on the shore
The quietness that tells them
They've been there before.

And now they know
And still can say
The dream persists
On Colonsay.

In the west you?ll still find them
Tumbled and grey
The hearthstones they left
When our kin sailed away
Families with children
And some on their own
Left from the Island
Where they were born.

And now they know
And still can say
The dream persists
On Colonsay.

 

[tanithwolf]

You wouldn't believe how much there is on mine, here's one of the best summed up versions I could find. All I can say is, best surname ever.

Spoiler: O' Connor

Recorded as O'Conner, O'Connor, Conner, Conor and Connor, this is considered to be historically the most important of all Irish surnames. It represents the last of the true Irish monarchy. The clan is descended from Conchobhar, king of Connacht, who died in battle in 971 a.d. The last two High Kings of Ireland being of this line. They were Turlough O'Connor (1088 - 1156), and Roderick O'Connor (1116 - 1198). The name is a developed form of the Gaelic O'Conchobhair, the prefix O', meaning male descendant of, plus the personal name "Conchobhar", composed of the elements "cu", meaning the hound, and "cobhar", a desire. There are six distinct septs of the clan, the most numerous being from County Kerry, where thirty thousand members reside today. The other prominent septs are in Counties Clare and Offaly. Among the famous namebearers was Arthur O'Connor (1765 - 1852), commander of the Irish Brigade, and a General of Division in Napoleons army. He was later a political publisher in France. Thomas O'Connor, a famine emigrant, sailed from Liverpool aboard the ship "St. Patrick", bound for New York on March 27th 1846. A coat of arms granted to the O'Connor clan has the blazon of a green shield, charged with a gold lion rampant, double queued and crowned. The Motto is "Nec timeo, nec sperno", and translates as, "I neither fear nor desire". Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

 

[cynicalandbored]

Naturally, my surname couldn't be straightforward... Could be Welsh, Cornish, English, Irish or French. Lovely.

Surname: Carey

There are, unusually, four distinct origins for this name, found as "Cary", "Carey" and "Carye". The first of these is of Welsh and Cornish origin, as a variant of the locational name "Carew", from any of the minor places named from the Welsh "caer" fort, and "rhiw", hill. The Carey family who have held the estate of Antony in Cornwall throughout the Middle Ages derive their name from this source. The second possible origin is English and also locational, from any of the places in Devon and Somerset so called from being situated on the River Cary, thought to be so named from the Celtic root-word "Car", meaning "love", "liking" - so, perhaps, "pleasant stream". The third source is French, and another locational name, from the manor of "Carrey", near Lisieux, Normandy. The marriage of "Henry Crey" and "Ann Morgan" is recorded in London in 1545. Finally, Carey is an Anglicized form of the old Gaelic O' Ciardha, the Gaelic prefix "O" indicating "male descendant of", plus the personal byname Ciardha from "ciar" dark or black. The Careys were lords of Carbury (Co. Kildare), up to the mid 12th Century. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Hamo de Kan, which was dated 1205 "Pleas before the King or his Justices", Somerset, during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

 

[XIII's Number XIV]

Spoiler

This interesting surname recorded in several forms including McRae, MacRae, Rae, Ree, and Rea, is of Medieval Scottish origin, although there can be confusion with English nameholder of similar spellings. The derivation is from the pre 7th century Old English 'ra'. This word described the roe deer, and when used as a nickname was on the face of it, a description for a rather timid person. However the developed sense of humour of the medieval period was to say the least robust, and 'nicknames' often meant the reverse of what they appeared to describe. This is certainly the case with the Scottish Border clan 'Rae' (originally Raa) from the Dumfries region. They were one of the fiercest and most disruptive of the famous 'Reivers'. They were described in a 15th century warrant of the Scottish court as being as 'troublesome and contumacious as any of the borderers'. Their refusal to cooperate in the lawful business of the region being legendary! There are many recordings of namebearers, these dating from as early as 1231, when Robert Raa, described as a mason, witnessed a charter to the Abbey of Culross, Peter Rae 1671 - 1748 was a minister of Kirkconnel, Scotland, and published an account of the 1715 Jacobite uprising. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Vlui Ra, which was dated 1095, in the Records of the Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, during the reign of King Henry 1 of England, known as 'The Lion of Justice', 1087 - 1100.

Apparently, my family dates back to Scotland, and were troublemakers.

 

[wordsmith]

An ancestor of mine moved over here, they only spoke Jerrieas (local dialect), when his son was born they went down to the registry office and told the register his name, the register was an idiot and put the guy's first name as his surname, and misspelled it as well. I'll not tell you what it is, people know where I'm from and there's only 2 families around here with this name.

 

[historybuff]

Ah, my name is too uncommon, I guess.

Sorry we have yet to research the origin of the surname Ridenour

But don't despair We still endeavor to research about 10 surnames a month. To make sure that we can serve as many people as possible we have a scheme for researching the names with the most interest.

 

[GodofDisaster]

Spoiler

Surname Costello: Recorded in the spellings of Costello (County Mayo), Costelloe (Counties Galway and Clare), and sometimes Costellow, Costley, Cusheley, and even Casserly, this famous surname is Irish, but of Norman-French origins. It derives from the pre 10th century family known as the 'de Anglos' or Nangle, which strictly speaking means 'from or of, England'. It is claimed that the first reference to the clan in surviving registers or charters is that of Gilbert de Nangle in in the book known as 'The four masters' and dated 1193. This was only some twenty years after they helped Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, in 1169 and 1170, conquer most of the island of Ireland. It seems that unlike most Norman families who were granted huge tracts of land by King Henry 11nd of England, they rapidly abandoned their Norman ancestry and became 'Gaelic'. Most Irish researchers claim that 'they saw the light', but it seems more logical that the clan saw the opportunity for even greater land gains by local banditry. Central government in Dublin was rarely strong in the next seven hundred years, and soon lost control of the hinterland to the west. The clan established itself at the barony of Costello in County Mayo, where for centuries they 'enjoyed' a local and bloody feud with the MacDermots. The first known holder of the surname is believed to be that of Cumumhan Mac Casarlaigh in about 1252, whilst in the 'modern' spelling it may be that of Teag MacCostello, chief of the clan in 1565. John Costello was Taoiseach of Ireland in 1948 and again in 1954.

It is an Irish surname but it came from Norman-french orgins.

 

[sam_savage1393]

Scot Morgan, the man on the edge of the Scottish Sea. Odd though, because I'm Irish.

 

[TheNumber1Zero]

Spoiler: Here you go: Moore

This distinguished British surname recorded in a wide range of spellings including: More, Mores, Moor, Moores, Moors, and in Scotland Muir, has a number of possible origins. The first is a topographical name for someone who lived on a moor or in a fen, both of which were denoted by the Olde English pre 7th Century word "mor", or from one of the various villages so named such as Moore in the county of Cheshire, or More in Shropshire. Secondly it may have been a nickname for someone of dark or swarthy complexion. In this case the derivation is from the Old French "more", meaning dark-skinned. There was also a personal name of the same origin, which was borne by several early saints. The given name was introduced into England by the Normans, but was never as popular in England as on the Continent. In Ireland the surname originated as a form of the Gaelic O'Mordha, composed of the elements O', meaning descendant of, and Mordha, a byname translating as proud or stately. In Scotland and Wales the origination was as a nickname for a large man, from the Gaelic word mor or the Welsh mowr, both meaning great. The surname was first recorded in the late 11th Century (see below), and early examples of the surname recording include: William Mor, tax register known as the Feet of Fines for the county of Essex in the year 1198, and Matthew del More in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1275. One of the earliest settlers in the New World was Leonard Moore, who is recorded as "living at Elizabeth Cittee, Virginea" in 1624, having arrived on the ship "Bona Nova" in 1619. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de More. This was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book of Suffolk, during the reign of King William 1st of England, 1066 - 1087.

 

[Xanadeas]

There was one of these a while back that I'd posted in. But I'll answer again in summary: Cowee: celtic (I think that was it) referred to herding cows. No really. x_x

 

[Lemon Of Life]

Doesn't mean anything. I'm the only one (along with my brother) with my surname. We bear a great burden.

 

[Caligulove]

My surname is Oen.

Which is actually derived from the word for 'island' in older Swedish and then my Family changed it to this when we came over to America, to make it simpler. Doesn't stop people from putting a 'w' in there ALL THE TIME though.... once got on my nerves but now its just kind of funny.

My stepdad's surname is Alexandrov, though. And from what I understand it, it is the given father's name of the family? Though I have never really talked to him about it.

Then my step mom.... I still don't understand Mexican surnames. It's Ortiz Nava, but then also has Vasquez in there... but not all the time??? She's explained it to me and I still don't really get it. But I do remember that her name pretty much tells you her family history for the last 2-3 generations

 

[TheNamlessGuy]

DELETED

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

My name in latin has meanings that should not be...
I'll just find it.
EDIT: Here: "vote; judgement; applause, intercession by saint with god, church province."
Well.

 

[HoodedPunhist]

My surname is two worded and it includes a breast and a old house. And it is traditional Southern Ostrobothnic name.

Life seriously knows how to kick ones privates.