Welcome to the British Surnames website. Here, you can find information on similar surnames, most common surnames, surname meanings and etymologies as well as discussing your name in the forum.

As the name suggests, this site primarily lists surnames commonly found in Britain, but many of these are found in other parts of the world as well - so even if you're not British, your name could well be in here!

Latest User Contributions

anon on SWINTON
Swinton means Swine Town-Pig Town
SWINTON Summary Data

anon on MEEROFF
of Ukrainian Jewish origin.
MEEROFF Summary Data

Tony Pulford on PULFORD
Pulford - Location name - Pulford, village in Cheshire where the small waterway "pulford brook" is the welsh border. derives from Pool by a Ford!
PULFORD Summary Data

Bill Bullock on WINNEY
There is another version of this name. My Mother's family version of WINNY
WINNEY Summary Data

Sue Wynne on LUSTY
The earliest mention of the name Lusty is a Subsidy Roll of 1327 in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, according to published surname study books. It has been supposed to have its [...]
LUSTY Summary Data

Peter C. Amsden on AMSDEN
Origin of name almost certainly stems from the village of Ambrosden in Oxfordshire. Early mmbers of the Amsden family were mostly centred in the Home Counties of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. [...]
AMSDEN Summary Data

Pascal Bataillard on LAVIN
Origin: Derives from Irish Gaelic "sleibh" (= mountain or high place), anglicised to Sleive. Slevin, O'Slevin and Slaven are common variants in Ireland.
LAVIN Summary Data

anon on TARR
I am descended from TARRs in the Ashburton area of Devon - I believe the name is a variant of Tor (= stony hill). My great-grandfather left Devon for Ireland [...]
TARR Summary Data

Iain C. Purvis on SUMNER
Sumner is a corruption of Summoner, a court official in the middle ages. See Chaucer's "The Summoner's Tale" from the Canterbury Tales.
SUMNER Summary Data

Iain Charles Purvis on PURVIS
As I understand it, the name PURVIS comes from PURVEYOR, a representative of the army in the 1600s who went ahead of the proposed march route to arrange for the [...]
PURVIS Summary Data

Latest from the Forum

artscot on HOOLE In Cheshire
Hello, Trying to establaish the husband and maiden name of Nancy Hoole,in 1841 she is living as below:- Census 1841. Name Sex Age Birth Year Occupation Where Born -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HOOLE, Nancy F 35 [...]
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smeni on Eidman, Eidmann, Eidmans, Eydmann
This is an unusual surname - its not on your list of names either! Think originally from Hesse, Germany, first instance of it is in east end of [...]
[forum] | [topic]

fenetta on MARDLES, PRALTON
Hello, I am looking for information on the above family names. Have both Surnames in family dating back to 1700's in Devon. Any idea as to origin of the names. THANK YOU.
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john macpherson on Thanks
Hi, I'm new here, and thanks for signing me up. I have used the site before and thought it was time to join, I am involved with a few "Scottish" [...]
[forum] | [topic]

tomotmoor on Hallchurch/Allchurch family
I note that the family names is not to be found on the database. All discovered births, marriages and deaths can be found on http://www.hallchurch.com There are currently 54 Hallchurches in the [...]
[forum] | [topic]

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