Origin | |
---|---|
Meaning | "under or below wood" |
Region of origin | England |
Frequency and comparison: [1] |
Underwood is a surname of English topographic origin.
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.
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:
Archer is a surname in the English language.
Stapleton is an English surname dating back to the times of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a habitation name; examples of habitations are found in Cumbria, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Shropshire, Somerset, and Yorkshire, and the name is derived from the Old English word stapol meaning post and ton meaning settlement.
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:
The etymology of the surname Morrison is either Anglo-Norman, commonly found throughout England, Scotland and Ireland, or from the Clan Morrison, a Scottish clan originally from Sutherland and the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.
Kirby is a surname of Scandinavian then Irish and English origin. Names ending in 'by' are Nordic like the place names in Sweden such as Visby, Hellingsby etc. The Irish surname is an anglicisation of Ó Ciarmhaic, is Kerwick, while the English surname is from the Old Norse "kirkja" + "býr" meaning "church" + "settlement". Notable people with the surname include:
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.
Ball is an English surname that has multiple potential origins, as do many short surnames:
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.
Lynn is a surname of Irish origin, English, Welsh or Scottish. It has a number of separate derivations:
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.