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Surname Etymology and Meaning of BARTHOLOMEW

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Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

(origin: Heb.) The son of him who maketh the waters to mount, or a son that suspends the waters.

Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import (1857).

English: from a medieval personal name, Latin Bart(h)olomaeus, from the Aramaic patronymic bar-Talmay ‘son of Talmay’, meaning ‘having many furrows’, i.e. rich in land. This was an extremely popular personal name in Christian Europe, with innumerable vernacular derivatives. It derived its popularity from the apostle St. Bartholomew (Matthew 10:3), the patron saint of tanners, vintners, and butlers. As an Irish name, it has been used as an Americanized form of Mac Pharthaláin (see McFarlane).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)