What's in a Surname?

What's in a Surname? PDF

Author: David McKie

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2013-08-29

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 1448149053

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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Surnames are much more than convenient identity tags; they are windows into our families’ pasts. Some suggest ancestral trades (Butcher, Smith, Roper) or physical appearance (Long, Brown, Thynne). Some provide clues to where we come from (McDonald, Evans, Patel). And some – Rymer, Brocklebank, Stolbof – offer a hint of something just a little more exotic or esoteric. All are grist to the mill for David McKie who, in What’s in a Surname?, sets off on a journey around Britain to find out how such appellations have evolved and what they tell us about ourselves. En route he looks at the surname’s tentative beginnings in medieval times, and the myriad routes by which particular names became established. He considers some curious byways: the rise and fall of the multi-barrel surname and the Victorian reinvention of ‘embarrassing’ surnames among them. He considers whether fortune favours those whose surnames come at the beginning of the alphabet. And he celebrates the remarkable and the quirky, from the fearsome Ridley (the cry of which once struck terror in the hearts of their neighbours) to the legend-encrusted Tichborne, whose most famous holders were destined to suffer misfortune and controversy. Elegiac and amusing by turns, he offers a wonderfully entertaining wander along the footpaths of the nation’s history and culture, celebrating not just the Smiths and Joneses of these islands but the Chaceporcs and Swetinbeddes, too.

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland PDF

Author: Patrick Hanks

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016-11-17

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 0192527479

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Containing entries for more than 45,000 English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, and immigrant surnames, The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland is the ultimate reference work on family names of the UK. The Dictionary includes every surname that currently has more than 100 bearers. Each entry contains lists of variant spellings of the name, an explanation of its origins (including the etymology), lists of early bearers showing evidence for formation and continuity from the date of formation down to the 19th century, geographical distribution, and, where relevant, genealogical and bibliographical notes, making this a fully comprehensive work on family names. This authoritative guide also includes an introductory essay explaining the historical background, formation, and typology of surnames and a guide to surnames research and family history research. Additional material also includes a list of published and unpublished lists of surnames from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Research Your Surname and Your Family Tree

Research Your Surname and Your Family Tree PDF

Author: Graeme Davis

Publisher: How To Books

Published: 2010-09-24

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 1848034547

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Find out what your surname means and trace your ancestors who share it too. Perhaps your surname is that of a Norman who came to Britain after the Battle of Hastings; or a Celtic clan name. Maybe it is an old English trade. It may be distinctive of a particular location. And just possibly you might be related to everyone who bears the name. Find out! Your surname is part of you -- so use this book to discover what it really means. This comprehensive book will show you how to research your surname and your family tree, both in earliest and in more recent years. It provides practical activities to investigate the meaning of any British surname. You will discover: -- The meaning of your surname -- How old it is -- Where it comes from -- What associations it has today -- How to use your surname to trace ancestors You may also be able to take part in a One Name Study or use DNA profiling to make contact with other people who bear your surname and with whom you share distant ancestors.

The Surname Detective

The Surname Detective PDF

Author: Colin Rogers

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 1995-08-15

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 9780719040481

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This helpful guide provides the amateur genealogist or family historian with the skills to research the distribution and history of a surname.

The Man without a Surname

The Man without a Surname PDF

Author: Xuan Duc

Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing

Published: 2022-06-15

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 9354909426

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This novel by Xuan Duc based on a real serious case that happened in Quang Tri province and Military Region 4. The fate of the main character in the story posed a problem of great tragedy of a whole era in a special land. Hien Luong - Ben Hai - the river at the 17th parallel that divided Vietnam into North and South, was under the terrible pressure of the historical confrontation. The author did not describe the weapon confrontation, but leaded readers into another tragedy: the ideological confrontation that had pushed a gentle, simple person to become an unrecognized person, living a lonely life in his own homeland, eventually becoming a criminal who received the death penalty. The book made a big splash in Vietnamese literature in the 80s of the 20th century.