There are 13 surnames in the 1881 census which occurred more frequently in Norfolk than any other county, and whose origins are believed to be Old Norse (ON) personal names. These surnames appear to be commoner in the parts of the county... more
There are 13 surnames in the 1881 census which occurred more frequently in Norfolk than any other county, and whose origins are believed to be Old Norse (ON) personal names. These surnames appear to be commoner in the parts of the county where ON place-names are more frequent; such place-names are usually taken as an indicator of Viking settlement. The apparent relationship was investigated by grouping the census enumeration districts into three classes according to the number of ON place-names that the enumeration districts included. It was found that a person living in a part of Norfolk in 1881 with many ON place-names was about 4.5 times as likely to have an ON-derived surname as a person living in an area with few, and a person in an area with an intermediate number was 2.7 times as likely. Yarmouth and Norwich were treated separately, and come between the most frequent and intermediate classes. At first sight the strength of this association is surprising, but Scandinavian given names are known to have continued in use to the time when many families had hereditary surnames. It is therefore not surprising that such names were created, and there are many other examples of surnames remaining concentrated until modern times in the areas in which they were formed
"The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were the period in which most English surnames developed and became hereditary. This study analyzes several thousand names found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1274-75 and 1350-52... more
"The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were the period in which most English surnames developed and became hereditary. This study analyzes several thousand names found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1274-75 and 1350-52 to show naming practices in the West Riding of Yorkshire during this period of rapid surname development and discusses the way in which these naming practices illustrate the roles, relationships, activities, and actions of the people of the late medieval Wakefield manor community.
The study includes statistics on the type and number of surnames used at given points during the period studied, including discussion of the cultural and social implications of name choice. Each surname is classified and analyzed, and an index of the names studied is included."
Ogden and McClure (2021) divided Norfolk into zones according to the density of Old Norse (ON) place-names. This density is often taken as a marker of Scandinavian settlement. They showed that in the 1881 census the number of holders of... more
Ogden and McClure (2021) divided Norfolk into zones according to the density of Old Norse (ON) place-names. This density is often taken as a marker of Scandinavian settlement. They showed that in the 1881 census the number of holders of surnames derived from ON personal names was about 4.5 times as great in the zone with many ON place-names as in the zone with few, with the rest of Norfolk having an intermediate number. This paper considers the dispersal of surnames by extinction and migration, and compares the dispersal of the ON-derived surnames with that of locative names from the same parts of Norfolk. This does not undermine the analysis of Ogden and McClure.
""The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were the period in which most English surnames developed and became hereditary. This study analyzes several thousand names found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1274-75... more
""The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were the period in which most English surnames developed and became hereditary. This study analyzes several thousand names found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1274-75 and 1350-52 to show naming practices in the West Riding of Yorkshire during this period of rapid surname development and discusses the way in which these naming practices illustrate the roles, relationships, activities, and actions of the people of the late medieval Wakefield manor community. The study includes statistics on the type and number of surnames used at given points during the period studied, including discussion of the cultural and social implications of name choice. Each surname is classified and analyzed, and an index of the names studied is included.""
Hand-out for a talk at Carryduff Library on Wed 21 February, 2018, dealing with a wide range of family names in current use in Co. Down, their origin, structure and meaning. This fact-sheet is also intended for more general use as an... more
Hand-out for a talk at Carryduff Library on Wed 21 February, 2018, dealing with a wide range of family names in current use in Co. Down, their origin, structure and meaning. This fact-sheet is also intended for more general use as an introduction to the topic of family names. Using examples from Ireland and Britain, it discusses when and why people adopted surnames, how they were used by women and men, and how surnames can be categorised by meaning. Examples of English, Irish and Scottish names of each type are given. The evolution of patronymic names into surnames is discussed and compared to the situation in Iceland, where patronymics are still much more widely used than surnames. The use of Mac and Ó in Irish and Scottish Gaelic surnames is covered, as well as the equivalent terms for women, Nic/Mhic and Ní/Uí. Brief mention is made of Norman, Scots, Manx and Welsh names, which are all part of the stock of surnames currently used in East Ulster.
