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Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presumably in the belief it is a Welsh patronymic in origin, for which there is no evidence, was that it is a corruption of "Ap Lake", meaning "Son of Lake".
Davies is a patronymic Welsh surname meaning "son of David". It is the second most common surname in Wales, a rank it shares with "Williams", and the eighth most common surname in England, where many people have Welsh ancestry. It is particularly widespread in southwest England, especially Cornwall, and in the areas of northwest England that are near the border with Wales.
Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis. It has also been noted to be a Jewish surname.
Rhys or Rhŷs is a popular Welsh given name that is famous in Welsh history and is also used as a surname. It originates from Deheubarth, an old region of South West Wales, with famous kings such as Rhys ap Tewdwr.
Watkins is an English and Welsh surname derived as a patronymic from Watkin, in turn a diminutive of the name Watt, a popular Middle English given name itself derived as a pet form of the name Walter.
The surname Collins has a variety of likely origins in Britain and Ireland:
- English and Scottish: A patronymic surname based on the English and Scottish name Colin, an English diminutive form of Nicholas.
- Norse: From the Old Norse personal name "Kollungr", a form of "koli" which in Old English became 'Cola', meaning swarthy or dark.
- Irish: The medieval surname was Ua Cuiléin, which has usually become Ó Coileáin today.
- Welsh: Collen; "hazel, hazel grove".
Gavin is a Celtic male given name. It is the Scottish variation of the medieval Welsh name Gawain, meaning "God send" or "white hawk". Sir Gawain was a knight of King Arthur's Round Table. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an epic poem connected with King Arthur's Round Table. Gawain beheads the Green Knight who promptly replaces his head and threatens Gawain an identical fate the same time next year. Decapitation figures elsewhere: the Italian name Gavino is the name of an early Christian martyr who was beheaded in 300 AD, his head being thrown in the Mediterranean Sea only later reunited and interred with his body.
James is a surname in the French language, and in the English language originating from the given name, itself derived from Old French James, variant form of Jacme, Jame, from Late Latin Jacomus, variant form of Latin Jacobus, itself from Hebrew Yaʿaqōḇ. Notable people with the surname include:
Edwards is a patronymic surname of English origin, meaning "son of Edward". Edwards is the 14th most common surname in Wales and 21st most common in England. Within the United States, it was ranked as the 49th-most common surname as surveyed in 1990, falling to 51st in 2014.
Riley is a surname of English origin, as well as an Anglicized version of an Irish surname.
Hughes is an English language surname, usually of Welsh origin.
Thomas is a common surname of English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, French, German, Dutch, and Danish origin.
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").
Fox is a surname originating in England and Ireland. Variants include Foxe and Foxx.
Sheridan is an Irish surname. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic Ó Sirideáin 'descendant of Sirideáin', a given name meaning 'to seek'. Originating in County Longford, the Sheridans were erenaghs of Granard, but in the County Cavan served the O'Reillys.
Bond is a surname of English origin. It was derived from the Old Norse Bóndi, meaning 'farmer' or 'husbandman'. These Bóndi were generally considered the core of Norse/Viking society. This word and personal name evolved into the personal name Bonde with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Notable people with the surname include:
Webb is an English and Scottish surname meaning weaver of cloth.
Oliver is a surname derived from the personal name Oliver. The Scottish Oliver family was a sept of the Scotland Highlands' powerful Clan Fraser of Lovat. There are many different Oliver families in North America.
Madden is the Anglicized surname of Madadhan of Irish origin, meaning "hound". It is also a less popular, gender-neutral given name.
References
- ↑ An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857
- ↑ "Price Surname Meaning". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2014
- ↑ Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. ISBN 0192115928.
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