Medieval English Surnames

The Norman invasion of 1066 introduced a large stock of continental Germanic and French names. Although the Normans, or Norsemen, had only been settled in northern France for about two generations, they retained little of their original language and the naming pattern was altered. French influence had reached Britain already through Edward the Confessor who was brought up by his mother Emma's relatives in Brittany, although this was limited almost exclusively to court circles. (Canute the Dane had defeated Edward's father, Ethelred, and married Emma.)

The Normans brought both servants and ordinary fighting men whose sphere was far outside that of the nobles and the linguistic structure that was to become English began to be formed. Literacy became more widespread and a classical influence became apparent, especially in girls' names. Some Saxon and Norse names were retained along with their Norman counterparts but they gradually became less common. Anglo-Saxon and Norman French names can be similar due to the common Germanic roots of the Angles, Saxons and Vikings.

Formation of Surnames

The Anglo-Saxons used only personal names, sometimes with nicknames and patronymics, so it was not until after the Norman Conquest that inherited surnames were adopted. Originally these were only borne by nobles and were likely to be restricted to the place of origin, preceded by 'de' as in modern French, or the father's name preceded by 'Fitz' (from French fils 'son').

Later, sources included:

Surnames

Noble Families

These surnames all occurred amongst the nobility during medieval times. Some titled families still bear them today. Historically, a duke or earl often tended to be known by his title (Warwick, Northumberland, Suffolk, Norfolk, Gloucester, York, Lancaster, March, Leicester) but would have a family name as well. Sometimes, the heir to an estate would change his name to that of the original family if he was not in the direct line.

This collection of names was compiled by Kate Monk and is ©1997, Kate Monk.

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