English name
Encyclopedia
English names are names used in England
.
In England as elsewhere in the Anglosphere
, a complete name usually consists of a given name
, commonly referred to as a first name, a second given name, commonly called a middle name, and a family name
or surname
, usually referred to as a last name.
have are Latin or Romance
, Christian or Biblical names (Greek
or Hebrew
), or Germanic names adopted via the transmission of Old French
, such as Robert
, Richard
, Henry
or William
.
There remains a limited set of given names which have an actual English etymology (see Anglo-Saxon names); examples include Alfred
, Edgar
, Edmund
, Edwin
, Harold
and Oswald
.
During most of the 19th century, the most popular given names were Mary
and either John
or William
for girls and boys, respectively.
Throughout the Early Modern period, the variation of given names was comparatively small;
the three most frequent male given names accounted for close to 50% of male population throughout this period. For example, of the boys born in London in the year 1510, 24.4% were named John
, 13.3% were named Thomas
and 11.7% were named William. A trend towards more diversity in given names began in the mid 19th century, and by 1900, 22.9% of the newborn boys, and 16.2% of the newborn girls in the UK shared the top three given names.
The trend continued during the 20th century, and by 1994, these figures had fallen to 11% and 8.6%, respectively. This trend is a result of a combination of greater individualism
in the choice of names, and the increasing ethnic heterogeneity
of UK population, which led to a wider range of frequent given names from non-European traditions.
.
The introduction of parish registers in 1538 contributed significantly to the stabilization of the surname system, but it was not until the late 17th century that fixed surnames were introduced throughout England.
According to the Office for National Statistics
, the top ten most frequent surnames in England during the 1990s were:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In England as elsewhere in the Anglosphere
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
, a complete name usually consists of a given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
, commonly referred to as a first name, a second given name, commonly called a middle name, and a family name
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
or surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
, usually referred to as a last name.
Given names
Most given names used in England do not have English etymology. Most traditional nameshave are Latin or Romance
Roman naming conventions
By the Republican era and throughout the Imperial era, a name in ancient Rome for a male citizen consisted of three parts : praenomen , nomen and cognomen...
, Christian or Biblical names (Greek
Greek name
-Given names:Greek given names can be derived from the Greco-Roman gods, along with Ancient Greek traditions, or from the Byzantine Empire as well as the Old and the New Testament and early Christian traditions...
or Hebrew
Hebrew name
Hebrew names are names that have a Hebrew language origin, classically from the Hebrew Bible. They are mostly used by people living in Jewish or Christian parts of the world, but some are also adapted to the Islamic world, particularly if a Hebrew name is mentioned in the Qur'an. When...
), or Germanic names adopted via the transmission of Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
, such as Robert
Robert
The name Robert is a Germanic given name, from hrod "fame" and beraht "bright". It is also in use as a surname.After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England in its Old French form Robert, where an Old English cognate form had existed before the Norman Conquest...
, Richard
Richard
The first or given name Richard derives from German, French, and English "ric" and "hard" , therefore it means 'powerful leader' as well as 'King's Court'...
, Henry
Henry (given name)
Henry is an English male given name and a surname, from the Old French Henry , derived itself from the Germanic name Haimric , which was derived from the word elements haim, meaning "home" and ric, meaning "power, ruler". Harry, its English short form, was considered the "spoken form" of Henry in...
or William
William (name)
William is a popular given name of old Germanic origin. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era...
.
There remains a limited set of given names which have an actual English etymology (see Anglo-Saxon names); examples include Alfred
Alfred (name)
The name Alfred is of English origin and comes from the Old English name elements ælf and ræd or rēd , and thus means "elf counsel" or "one who is counseled by elves"...
, Edgar
Edgar
Edgar is a common name from Old English words ead + gar . Literally meaning "prosperity-spear" or "prosperous spearman." It may refer to:-Historical:...
, Edmund
Edmund
-People known only as Edmund:*Edmund I , King of England from 939 to 946*Edmund Ironside , also known as Edmund II, King of England in 1016*St. Edmund the Martyr , king of East Anglia*St...
, Edwin
Edwin
The name Edwin means "rich friend". It comes from the Old English elements "ead" and "wine" . The original Anglo-Saxon form is Eadwine, which is also found for Anglo-Saxon figures.Edwin may refer to:People...
, Harold
Harold
Harold is an Old English name, meaning "heroic leader", same as the title herald. Diminutives of Harold are Harry and Hal.*Several kings of Denmark, England and Norway were named Harald or Harold*Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England...
and Oswald
Oswald (given name)
-Oswald as given name:The name Oswald meaning Osmeans god and Weald means rule. The name Oswald means "divine ruler"*Oswald Avery , Canadian American physician, medical researcher and molecular biologist...
.
During most of the 19th century, the most popular given names were Mary
Mary (given name)
Mary is a feminine given name, the English form of the name Maria, which was in turn a Latin form of the Greek names Μαριαμ, or Mariam, and Μαρια, or Maria, found in the New Testament. Both New Testament names were forms of the Hebrew name מִרְיָם or Miryam.The usual meaning given by various...
and either John
John (given name)
John is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Latin Ioannes, Iohannes, which is in turn a form of the Greek , Iōánnēs. This Greek name is a form of the Hebrew name , , which means "God is generous"...
or William
William (name)
William is a popular given name of old Germanic origin. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era...
for girls and boys, respectively.
Throughout the Early Modern period, the variation of given names was comparatively small;
the three most frequent male given names accounted for close to 50% of male population throughout this period. For example, of the boys born in London in the year 1510, 24.4% were named John
John (given name)
John is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Latin Ioannes, Iohannes, which is in turn a form of the Greek , Iōánnēs. This Greek name is a form of the Hebrew name , , which means "God is generous"...
, 13.3% were named Thomas
Thomas (name)
Thomas is a masculine given name. It is based on the Biblical Greek , which is itself a transcription of the Aramaic "twin", the Hebrew cognate being...
and 11.7% were named William. A trend towards more diversity in given names began in the mid 19th century, and by 1900, 22.9% of the newborn boys, and 16.2% of the newborn girls in the UK shared the top three given names.
The trend continued during the 20th century, and by 1994, these figures had fallen to 11% and 8.6%, respectively. This trend is a result of a combination of greater individualism
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
in the choice of names, and the increasing ethnic heterogeneity
Immigration to the United Kingdom since 1922
Immigration to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1922 has been substantial, in particular from Ireland and the former colonies and other territories of the British Empire - such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South Africa, Kenya and Hong Kong - under...
of UK population, which led to a wider range of frequent given names from non-European traditions.
Surnames
English surnames appear from about the 11th century, but the system remained in flux until the Tudor periodTudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
.
The introduction of parish registers in 1538 contributed significantly to the stabilization of the surname system, but it was not until the late 17th century that fixed surnames were introduced throughout England.
According to the Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
, the top ten most frequent surnames in England during the 1990s were:
- SmithSmith (surname)Smith is an English family name originating in England. It is the most common surname in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, the second most common surname in Canada, and the fifth most common surname in Ireland...
- JonesJones (surname)Jones is a common Celtic Welsh surname based on the English version of the parent's name ending in -S. In 1881 people with this surname were largely confined to Wales. By 1998 many Welsh people had migrated to cities in England particularly those adjacent to Wales. The earliest record of the name...
- WilliamsWilliams (surname)Williams is a patronymic form of the name William that originated in medieval England and later came to be extremely popular in Wales. The meaning is derived from son or descendant of Guillemin, the French form of William. Derived from an Old French given name with Germanic elements; will =...
- TaylorTaylor (surname)Taylor is a surname in the English language which originated as an occupational surname in England The name is derived from the Old French tailleur, which is in turn derived from the Late Latin taliator, from taliare meaning "to cut"...
- BrownBrown (surname)Brown is a surname of English and Scottish origin. It also originates independently in the United States, as an Anglicization of several other surnames, such as the German Braun. Among the earliest recorded Browns is John Brown of Stamford, Lincolnshire, England in 1312. Brown is one of the most...
- DaviesDaviesDavies is a spelling variation of the patronymic English surname Davis, that means David, a Hebrew name meaning "beloved". Davies is much associated with Wales, owing to the name of its patron saint, David....
- EvansEvans (surname)Evans is a family name of Welsh, and possibly Cornish, origin. Within the United Kingdom it is the 8th most common surname, being most common in the city of Swansea, Wales. Within the United States, it is ranked as the 48th-most common surname.-Origin:...
- Wilson
- ThomasThomas (surname)Thomas is a common surname used in British , French, German, Dutch, Danish, and southern India .It derives from the medieval personal name, of Biblical origin, from Aramaic t'om'a, a byname meaning 'twin'. It was borne by one of the disciples of Christ, best known for his scepticism about Christ's...
- JohnsonJohnsonJohnson is an English, Scottish, and Irish name of Norman origin. The name itself is a patronym of the given name John, literally meaning "son of John." The name John derives from Latin Johannes, which is derived through Greek Ἰωάννης Iōannēs, from Hebrew יוחנן Yohanan meaning "Yahweh has favoured"...
- MurphyMurphyMurphy is an Anglicized version of two Irish surnames: Ó Murchadha/Ó Murchadh , and Mac Murchaidh/Mac Murchadh derived from the Irish personal name Murchadh, which meant "sea-warrior" or "sea-battler"...
- AtkinsAtkins-Places in the United States:* Atkins, Arkansas, a city* Atkins, Iowa, a city* Atkins, Virginia, a census-designated place* Atkins, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community* Atkins Peak, in Yellowstone National Park-Other uses:*Atkins...
External links
- English Boy Baby Names (ChildNamesWorld.com)
- English Surnames (about.com)
- Given Names in England Before 1800
- English Girl Baby Names (ChildNamesWorld.com)