Pearce can trace its origin back to the medieval first name Pers or Peris, a form of the Old French Pierre, which was itself derived from Peter. As the name that Jesus gave to one of his disciples, it’s not surprising to find Peris/Pers widely adopted as a surname in most parts of Cornwall by … Continue reading 9. Pearce
Category: surnames
10. Roberts
Robert was yet another name popularised by the Normans after the 11th century. Before then it had been occasionally used as a first name in the British Isles, but not often. From the Germanic name Rodbert, Robert came into English via Old French, as did many of those names that were adopted as surnames in … Continue reading 10. Roberts
11. Johns
John (from Old French Johan, which itself had an origin in Hebrew Johanan) was a popular medieval first name, this popularity boosted by John the Apostle. It was so popular in fact that, in the 1400s, John had become the most common male first name in Cornwall. Yet, it wasn’t the most common surname in … Continue reading 11. Johns
12. Bennett/s
The distribution of the 578 households in Cornwall headed by someone called Bennetts or similar in 1861 would strongly suggest that the surname arose in west Cornwall. However, that would be a mistake. If we turn to a map of the name Bennet in the early 1500s and 1641 a very different picture emerges. In … Continue reading 12. Bennett/s
13. Pascoe
At number 13 in our list of the most common Cornish surnames in 1861 we meet a distinctively Cornish name. While the surnames covered so far were also found in England, almost two thirds (61%) of all Pascoes in 1881 were living in Cornwall. The name was a Cornish variant of Middle English and Norman-French … Continue reading 13. Pascoe
14. Symons/Semmens
As we have seen, some medieval first names were prone to give rise to a large variety of variants. Sometimes, this occurred through the addition of suffixes, such as -kin or -cock. Often, an <s> would make its appearance at the end of the name. At other times it resulted from the varied spellings adopted … Continue reading 14. Symons/Semmens
New edition of The Surnames of Cornwall – an update
A new, updated and revised edition of The Surnames of Cornwall should be available by August 19th includes an extra 100 surnames 43 more pages 20 more maps e-book, paperback and, in some places, hardback versions Further details and provisional pricing can be found here, along with details of my other books. Here are some … Continue reading New edition of The Surnames of Cornwall – an update
15. Hosking
Hosking and its variants is a surname that, more than most, seems to trigger disagreement over its origins. The consensus among the surname experts is that Hosking and its various spelling variants emerged from Middle English Osekin. The theory is that it was a pet form of first names beginning Os-, such as Osborne, Osmond … Continue reading 15. Hosking
16. Davy/Davies
The first name David was borrowed from the Hebrew Old Testament. In Old French the vernacular form was Davy and this entered Middle English with the Norman invasion of 1066. The name David was popular earlier than that in Wales (where the cult of St David was centred) and Brittany. Therefore, we might presume that … Continue reading 16. Davy/Davies
17. Jenkin
The Latin name Johannes eventually gave us Jean in French and John in English. In medieval times Johns were often more familiarly known as Jan or Jen. This form then had -kin added to it to give the 16th century Jenkyn, Jankyn and similar. Before becoming a hereditary surname the suffix -kin was first used … Continue reading 17. Jenkin
Cornish studies resources 