Maxwell (surname)

Last updated

Maxwell is a Scottish surname, a habitational name derived from a location near Melrose, in Roxburghshire, Scotland. This name was first recorded in 1144, as Mackeswell, meaning "Mack's spring (or stream)" (from the Old English well[a]). The surname Maxwell is also common in Ulster, where it has, in some cases, been adopted as alternate form of the surname Miskell. [1] The surname Maxwell is represented in Scottish Gaelic as MacSuail.

Contents

People

Fictional characters

See also

Related Research Articles

Doyle is a surname of Irish origin. The name is a back-formation from O'Doyle, which is an Anglicisation of the Irish Ó Dubhghaill, meaning "descendant of Dubhghall". There is another possible etymology: the Anglo-Norman surname D'Oyley with agglutination of the French article de. It means 'from Ouilly', the name of a knight who originated from one of the places named Ouilly in Normandy, such as Ouilly-le-Tesson, Ouilly-le-Vicomte, etc. The relationship with the family D'Oyly is unknown.

Black is a surname which can be of either English, Scottish, Irish or French origin. In the cases of non-English origin, the surname is likely to be an Anglicisation. Notable persons with that surname include:

Woods is a common surname of English, Scottish and Irish origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brady (surname)</span> Surname list

Brady is a surname derived from the Irish surname Ó Brádaigh or Mac Brádaigh, meaning "spirited; broad".

Henderson is a surname of Scottish origin. The name is derived from patronymic form of the name Henry and Hendry, which is a Scottish form of Henry. It means "Son of Hendry" and "Son of Henry". In Scottish Gaelic it is rendered MacEanraig (masculine), and NicEanraig (feminine).

The surname Collins has a variety of likely origins in Britain and Ireland:

  1. English and Scottish: A patronymic surname based on the English and Scottish name Colin, an English diminutive form of Nicholas.
  2. Norse: From the Old Norse personal name "Kollungr", a form of "koli" which in Old English became 'Cola', meaning swarthy or dark.
  3. Irish: The medieval surname was Ua Cuiléin, which has usually become Ó Coileáin today.
  4. Welsh: Collen; "hazel, hazel grove".

Brooks is thought to have been derived from both the Swedish surname Bäckland, and lund ("grove"); and in English, Gaelic and Scottish from "of the brook". The word brook derives from the Old English broc and appears in the Medieval predecessors of Brooks. The surname arrived in North America from England in the mid-seventeenth century.

Andrews is a patronymic surname of English, Scottish, and Norse origin. At the time of the 1881 British Census, its relative frequency was highest in Dorset, followed by Wiltshire, Huntingdonshire, Worcestershire, Hampshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Devon and Somerset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbell (surname)</span> Surname list

Campbell is a Scottish surname —derived from the Gaelic roots cam ("crooked") and beul ("mouth")—that had originated as a nickname meaning "crooked mouth" or "wry mouthed." Clan Campbell, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans, traces its origins to the ancient Britons of Strathclyde. Between 1200 and 1500 the Campbells emerged as one of the most powerful families in Scotland, dominant in Argyll and capable of wielding a wider influence and authority from Edinburgh to the Hebrides and western Highlands.

Lawrence is an English and Scottish surname. It is derived from Middle English or old French given name Laurence; itself derived from Latin Laurentius. The Oxford dictionaryof family names of Britain lists Laurence and McLaren as variants.

Leonard or Leo is a common English masculine given name and a surname.

The surname Burns has several origins. In some cases, it derived from the Middle English or Scots burn, and originated as a topographic name for an individual who lived by a stream. In other cases the surname is a variant form of the surname Burnhouse, which originated as a habitational name, derived from a place name made up of the word elements burn and house. In other cases the surname Burns originated as a nickname meaning "burn house". In other cases, the surname Burns is an Anglicised form of the Irish Ó Broin, which means "descendant of Bran". In some cases the surname Burns is an Americanized form of the Jewish surname Bernstein, which is derived from the German bernstein ("amber").

The surname Ford has several origins. In some cases it originated as a name for someone who lived near a ford, and is therefore derived from the Old English and Middle English ford. In some cases, the surname is derived from places named Ford. Examples of such places include Ford in Northumberland, a place in Somerset, Ford in Shropshire, Ford in West Sussex, and Forde in Dorset.

Ryan is a common surname of Irish origin, as well as being a common given name in the English-speaking world.

The surname Young has several origins.

Duffy is a surname of Irish origin that comes from the original Irish name Ó Dubhthaigh, meaning descendant of Dubthach. Dubthach was an Old Irish first name meaning "black".

Sweeney is a surname that is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Suibhne meaning "son of Suibhne". The Gaelic personal name Suibhne was originally a byname meaning "pleasant" or "well-disposed" and is associated with Clan Sweeney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ward (surname)</span> Surname list

Ward is a surname of either Old English or Old Gaelic origin, common in English-speaking countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly (surname)</span> Surname list

Kelly is a surname in the English language. The name has numerous origins, most notably from the Ui Maine. In some cases it is derived from toponyms located in Ireland and Great Britain, in other cases it is derived from patronyms in the Irish language.

Stuart is a surname which was also adopted as a given name, traditionally for men. It is the French form of the Scottish surname Stewart. The French form of the name was brought to Scotland from France by Mary Stuart, in the 16th century.

References

  1. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-508137-4.