The U. K. today is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, so there is a long tradition of various names from invading and immigrating cultural groups onto the islands. Four of the most common present-day names are from English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish surnames.
English Names
The establishment of English surnames came approximately between 1250 A. D. and 1450 A. D. By the 15th century it had become common practice to have hereditary family names, those passed down through generations.
The following “son” names are a few of the most common 100 surnames in England today:
Anderson (Andrew’s son)
Harrison (Harry’s son)
Jackson
Johnson
Richardson
Robertson
Robinson
Simpson (Simon’s son)
Thompson / Thomson (Thomas’ son)
Watson
Wilkinson (son of Wilkin, often short for William)
Wilson (son of Will or William)
The top ten overall English surnames are: Smith, Jones, Taylor, Brown, Williams, Wilson, Johnson, Davis, Robinson and Wright.
Some English surnames also have some unusual meanings: Amherst (a surrounding grove), Barton (a local village or an enclosure for barley or corn), Bliss (happy), Clapp (chatter, talking), Dunlevy (the green hills near a river), Granger (a person supervising a large farm), Heaton (a town on a tall hill), Ockley (an oak field), Ramsden (a windy valley region), Reynold (to be sincere), Sigismund (to secure peace through victory) and Wickham (the winding of a river, making a sheltered place).
Scottish Names
Just like any ethnic group of surnames, Scottish names can originate from a patronymic or matronym (names of a father or mother) such as ‘Robertson‘ – the son of Robert; from occupations such as Burgess – a lawyer; from local land features or places such as Nisbet or Maxwell; and based on Lowland or Highlands of Scotland.
The top ten surnames found in Scotland are: Smith, Brown, Wilson, Robertson, Thomson, Campbell, Stewart, Anderson, Scott and Murray.
Some common Scottish and a few less common surnames and what they mean: Ackerman (made of oak, strong and brave), Anstruther (all-knowing and great), Ballard (noisy and boasting), Bran (a dark, black river), Cass (to turn against, to separate from), Drummond (the back of a mountain), Gowan (wild flower), Ethelbert (bright and noble), Gillpatrick (the servant to Patrick), Gregor (a herdsman), Kavanagh (merciful, a companion and friend), McCoun (the son of the chief), Mcildouney (the son of one who is brown-haired), Mulligan (top of the hill), Seaver (rich) and Tiernay (a property owner or judge).
Irish Names
The island of Ireland was one of the first countries to adopt hereditary surnames, which date back to about 1000 A.D.
Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, for years finds some similar surnames as to the English list in its top ten surnames: Wilson, Campbell, Kelly, Johnston, Moore, Thompson, Smyth, Brown, O’Neill and Doherty.
Welsh Names
The Welsh also used the ancient patronymic naming system where the children from a marriage took their father’s forename (given name) as their surname. An example would be the son of Evan would be named John Evan, but then John’s son would be named James John, etc. The early surnames continued to change over the generations. Eventually a family lineage would keep the same surname for their children such as Evan and carry that name for many generations.
Numerous Welsh surnames come from English Christian names such as Williams, Jenkins, and Thomas. Other names have some form of a prefix letters such as ‘b’ added to Owen for the name Bowen. Or a ‘p’ for Pritchard from Richard. There are the pure Celtic names like Trahaearn, Vaughan, Leuan, Llewelyn, Tradearn, Goch, Morgan, Gruffydd, Blethyn, Gwynn or Lloyd. If the person was the ‘son of’ then ‘mab’ or ‘map’ might have been added to the name. Some Welsh given names that once were common were Madog, Bleddyn and Goronwy.
Everyday Welsh surnames in the last hundred years include Rhys with various spellings of Reece, Preece and Rees. Also, Bevan, was spelled Bivens or Evans, Prosser came from Rhossr and Pennry from Henry.
General Welsh surnames with their meanings include: Adda (from the Bible ‘Adams‘), Anwyl (means beloved), Beynon (comes from ab Eynon, which means anvil), Cadwalader (refers to the leader in battle), Crowther (the player of a fiddle), Gethin (means something ugly), Gwalchmai (a hawk of the field), Hier (tall), Kyffin (the border land), Nevett (means a knight), Sayce (English speaking) and Tew (meaning fat).
The top ten surnames presently of Wales are: Jones, Williams, Davies, Evans, Thomas, Roberts, Lewis, Hughes, Morgan and Griffiths.
In searching for your ancestors, review all the possibilities, find their full names and compare to other family members, including surnames. Variations in spellings do exist on all types of records and even within a family. Nicknames and name changes can be tricky, so watch for those deviations.