Number 18 on our list of the most common surnames in 1861 Cornwall is Hocken, also spelt Hockin and Hocking. Several theories used to swirl around the origins of this name but the most likely is that it originally came from an old English name Hocca, the -in being added to make a pet name. … Continue reading 18. Hocken/Hocking
Category: surnames
Cornwall’s top 20 surnames: 19. Hicks
The medieval first names introduced to the British Isles from France by the Normans spawned a bewildering number of variants. In the late medieval period, when the number of first names was shrinking, this had the advantage of helping to differentiate folk with the same second name. The name Richard was particularly prolific when it … Continue reading Cornwall’s top 20 surnames: 19. Hicks
Cornwall’s top 20 surnames: the countdown begins
What were the most common surnames in Cornwall in 1861? But first, why 1861? At this time – and indeed until the 1890s – in-migration into Cornwall from England was minimal, Cornwall having a higher proportion of locally born residents than any English county. Mass migration had set in during the late 1840s but the … Continue reading Cornwall’s top 20 surnames: the countdown begins
Coming soon: a new edition of The Surnames of Cornwall
This month I shall be publishing a new revised and extended edition of The Surnames of Cornwall which, as of today, will be temporarily unavailable online. For the first time, this book will also be available in hardback. The updated edition includes a further 100 surnames distinctive to Cornwall, bringing the total to around 850 … Continue reading Coming soon: a new edition of The Surnames of Cornwall
From Tripcony to Tripp
Browsing back through the older posts on this site it struck me that some of them are well worth a further airing, albeit with some corrections and revisions if necessary. So, for those who may have missed them the first time around, I'll be re-posting some of those that catch my eye. Here's one that … Continue reading From Tripcony to Tripp
Good news and bad
The good news is that the perfect Christmas gift for any proud Cornish man or woman is still available. There is still time to order The Real World of Poldark or The Surnames of Cornwall before Christmas - and at the laughably low price of £9.99 plus postage. The bad news is that, having pegged … Continue reading Good news and bad
Transregional Cornish surnames: another example
Following up on the blog earlier this week about Cornish surnames from afar, the case of Kendall warrants a moment’s consideration. This surname is assumed to be derived from Kendal in the Lake District, in the furthermost northern reaches of England. By the nineteenth century it was most commonly found in Cumbria - no surprise … Continue reading Transregional Cornish surnames: another example
Cornish surnames and long-distance migration
As we have seen before, surnames that originate in placenames can give us useful clues about the migration of people in the past. Contrary to popular myth, even in the medieval period there was considerable movement within the British Isles. In Cornwall, there are several surnames that are based on places to the east of … Continue reading Cornish surnames and long-distance migration
Spelling variants and Cornish surnames: Cliffs and Curnows
Let’s catch up on a couple of surname queries, both of which involve spelling variants. The first is the name Cliff. There is general agreement that this is a topographical name, one taken from a feature in the landscape. The classic surname dictionary by P.H.Reaney confidently proclaims that Cliff and Clift are both variants of … Continue reading Spelling variants and Cornish surnames: Cliffs and Curnows
A surname puzzle from Cornwall
A recent enquiry about a surname deserves a wider audience. The name in question is Odiorne, one previously unknown to me. In the 1544 lay subsidies there was a William Odyhorne living in the small coastal parish of Sheviock. From 1589 onwards the surname appeared regularly in parish registers, dispersing from Sheviock, which looks to … Continue reading A surname puzzle from Cornwall
Cornish studies resources 