What's in Your Surname?: The Fascinating Story of English Surnames

by William Lewis

Have you ever thought about your own surname? Wondered about the stories behind them, especially if they are unusual?This Amazon NUMBER 1 BESTSELLING BOOK (Genealogy) tells the engaging story of when our surnames first came into use, why they were necessary and how people acquired them. After spending decades writing and researching the history of names, William Lewis presents in ‘What’s in your Surname?’ a journey through the quite diverse origins of English surnames citing hundreds of examples along the way. On this engaging journey you will discover the origin of last names, from disparaging nicknames to saints’ names and how history has shaped the creation of and evolution of surnames. There have been many books with surnames as their dictionaries of surnames, books about unusual surnames, heraldry, researching family history and so forth, but very few look at British history solely through surnames. From Baker, Barratt and Bell through to Belcher, Blanchflower and Bugg, William Lewis covers the history of commonplace and exotic surnames in equal measure. A joy to read whether cover-to-cover or dipped into as a treasury of sources, ‘What’s in your Surname?’ offers an engaging, vivid and revealing historical portrait of English surnames - and the unique and diverse places from whence they came. Buy 'What’s in your Surname?' today to discover the fascinating origins of hundreds of English surnames

Genres: History

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 8, 2010

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative read ,packed with page after page of encyclopedic facts. well worth taking the time to read slowly. extremely well writen and easily understood

[Matthew Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that I think I would mostly use for reference purposes in the future. Interesting to discover that my surname, Lloyd, seems to derive not from a Welsh physical description of a person who looks 'grey', but from that word being used as a first name and that Lloyd's children being called ap Lloyd (or perhaps more likely, ap Llwyd). Perhaps could have done with a little more information regarding why certain names fit in certain categories (do we know that certain names were taken from saints rather than from the first names of those named after saints, for example). But very good on more certain derivations such as professions.

[Ben Rowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Effort
A best seller but I suspect it would spend the majority of its time as one of those bathroom books one would read as they did their business before the smart phone usurped it.
Admittedly, chapter 1, where names are linked to ones ancestral occupations was interesting but after that the only thrill I got was from coming across my own surname.

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read which offers a glimpse into the day to day life of medieval Britons as preserved in their surnames. It’s only an introductory study rather than a fully scholarly piece, but that makes it a light read. I don’t think I’ll read it again, but I enjoyed it, hence three stars.

[Richard Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the author writes, he has only covered about 2% of English surnames but, by dividing them into categories, he makes it easier to explore their derivations. It's not a riveting read but it is interesting.