Underwood (surname)

Last updated
Underwood
Origin
Meaning"under or below wood"
Region of origin England
Frequency and comparison: [1]

Underwood is a surname of English topographic origin.

Contents

History

Deriving from the Old English "unter", or Angeln (Danish-German)/Scandivadian equivalent—a preposition meaning "under" or "below"—plus "wuda", a wood, leading to the Saxon expression "unterwuda" sounding like "oontawooda". The name was originally given to one dwelling at the foot of a wood or literally "below the trees of a forest". The name may also be locational from three places named with these elements, e.g. Underwood in Derbyshire, England, and Underwood, Nottinghamshire, England. The surname is first recorded in the latter half of the 12th century (see below). One William Underwude appears in the 1219 Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire, and a William under the Wode in the 1332 Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire. From the beginning of the surviving parish registers in 1559 there were Underwoods recorded in Pickering parish, North Yorkshire, England. [2] On 2 January 1634, one Joseph Underwood, aged 23 yrs., embarked from London on the ship Bonaventure bound for Virginia. He was one of the earliest recorded name bearers to enter America. No less than seven coats of arms were granted to families of this name; a particular namebearer mentioned in the Dictionary of National Biography was one Michael Underwood (1737–1820), who practised in London as a surgeon and as a "male-midwife". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William de Underwode which was dated 1188, in the "Records of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk", during the reign of King Henry II, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154–1189.

People

Surname

General

Arts

Politicians

Sports

Fictional characters

See also

Related Research Articles

Boyle is an Irish, Scottish and English surname of Gaelic or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include:

Pratt is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Atkins is a surname of English origin. At the time of the British Census of 1881, its frequency was highest in Buckinghamshire, followed by Huntingdonshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Rutland, Kent, Dorset, Norfolk, and Berkshire.

Tate is an English surname.

Holt is a surname.

Adamson is an English patronymic surname meaning "son of Adam". It is rare as a given name, although there has been a tradition in some families for the first-born son to be called Adam. People with the surname Adamson include:

Hirst is an English surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Kirby is a surname of Irish and English origin. The Irish surname is an anglicisation of Ó Ciarmhaic, while the English surname is from the Old Norse "kirkja" + "býr" meaning "church" + "settlement". Notable people with the surname include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howell (name)</span> Surname and given name of Welsh origin

Howell is a surname and given name originating from Wales. As a surname, it is not particularly common among those of Welsh ancestry, as it is an anglicized form of the Welsh name Hywel. It originates in a dynasty of kings in Wales and Brittany in the 9th and 10th centuries, most notably king Hywel Dda and three Welsh royal houses of that time onwards. The royal House of Tudor was also descended from them. Today, nearly 200,000 people bear this surname.

The English surname Dodd is one of the first Anglo-Saxon names recorded. Depending on the region, the name has multiple origins. In the West of England, Dodd is understood to be of Ancient Welsh Celtic origin. It may also have Germanic origins if found in the East of England, stemming from a description of something "round or plump" as a surname based on nicknames. The surname Dodd may also be derived from the Old English word "dydrian", in East England which means deceiver or rascal, or from the word "dod", which means to make bare or to cut off. The application of the name Dodd is obvious in the former case, while the nickname would denote a bald person in the latter case. Through migration, the surname Dodd has become common throughout the British Isles and the broader English-speaking world.

Farrell is a surname of Irish origin. It is the anglicized form of the Gaelic patronym Ó Fearghail. The Farrells were hereditary Chiefs and Princes of Annaly.

Thomson is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Thom, Thomp, Thompkin, or other diminutive of Thomas", itself derived from the Aramaic תום or Tôm, meaning "twin". The surname is documented in Cheshire records before and after the 1066 Norman Conquest. Variations include Thomason, Thomasson, Thomerson, Thomoson, and others. The French surname Thomson is first documented in Burgundy and is the shortened form for Thom[as]son, Thom[es]son. Variations include Thomassin, Thomason, Thomsson, Thomesson, Thomeson, and others. Thomson is uncommon as a given name.

Ball is an English surname that has multiple potential origins, as do many short surnames:

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

Kelly is a surname of Irish origin. The name is a partially anglicised version of older Irish names and 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.

Owen is usually an anglicised variant of the Welsh personal name Owain. Originally a patronymic, Owen became a fixed surname in Wales beginning with the reign of Henry VIII. Etymologists consider it to originate from Eugene, meaning 'noble-born'. According to T. J. Morgan and Prys Morgan in Welsh Surnames: "the name is a derivation of the Latin Eugenis > OW Ou[u]ein, Eug[u]ein ... variously written in MW as Ewein, Owein, Ywein. LL gives the names Euguen, Iguein, Yuein, Ouein. The corresponding form in Irish is Eoghan." Morgan and Morgan note that there are less likely alternative explanations, and agree with Rachel Bromwich that Welsh Owein "is normally latinised as Eugenius", and that both the Welsh and Irish forms are Latin derivatives.

Robertson is a patronymic surname, meaning "son of Robert". It originated in Scotland and northern England. Notable people and companies with the surname include:

McKenna is an Irish surname. It derives from the Gaelic name Cináed, meaning, “born of fire.” It is the anglicized form of the Gaelic Mac Cionaodha meaning "son of Cionnaith", or of the Scottish surname, from Galloway, "MacCionaodha".

Ireland is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Billings is a surname.

Curtis or Curtiss is a common English given name and surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from the Old French curteis which was in turn derived from Latin cohors. Nicknames include Curt, Curty and Curtie.

References

  1. "Underwood Surname Meaning, Origins & Distribution – Family Name". forebears.co.uk.
  2. "Underwood family history (North Yorkshire)". bedfordpark.net.