Time trundles remorselessly onwards. I was shocked to realise it’s been over a year now since I began adding two or three blogs a week to this website. Maybe it’s because people had nothing better to do during the covid lockdown but the number of visitors in 2020 is already almost double that of 2019, … Continue reading A year of Cornish studies resources
Category: surnames
Three Cornish language surnames
Here are maps of the early geography of three surnames that are the Cornish equivalent of Smith, White and Long. You can find maps of their nineteenth century distributions here.
Cornish surnames in the 1500s
From this point on in my weekly surname blogs, I intend to work through the names in The Surnames of Cornwall, providing maps of their distribution in the sixteenth century, if not already covered in previous blogs. I'll deal with one to four surnames (depending on their frequency) in each blog. If such maps already … Continue reading Cornish surnames in the 1500s
Why are there so many Williamses in Cornwall?
Williams was (and probably still is) the most frequently occurring surname in Cornwall. The last blog looked at an exceptional family with this name. This one reviews the more common Williamses. Williams, like Thomas, Richards, Harris and others, is relatively common in Cornwall (as in Wales) because hereditary surnames were sometimes adopted later, when the … Continue reading Why are there so many Williamses in Cornwall?
Do the surnames Warren, Warne and Wearne have a shared origin?
It’s generally assumed the surnames Warren and Warne have different origins. The surname dictionaries state that Warren is either from a placename in Normandy or a name for someone living near or working in a game park. Warne is supposed to be from a placename in Devon. The same sources tell us Wearne is a … Continue reading Do the surnames Warren, Warne and Wearne have a shared origin?
Maps for the surnames Allen and Holman
Two fairly common Cornish surnames, both with a wide distribution in the 1500s. You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. Remember, if you want information on a surname that hasn’t appeared in my book or been a subject of a previous blog do let me know.
Maps for the surnames Menear and Uren
Two Cornish surnames, one from a placename and the other from a first name. You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. Remember, if you want information on a surname that hasn’t appeared in my book or been a subject of a previous blog do let me know.
Maps for the surnames Hollow and Trestrail
These are two locative surnames that originated in a place (perhaps). You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. Remember, if you want information on a surname that hasn’t appeared in my book or been a subject of a previous blog do let me know.
Maps for the surnames Jago and Wearne
Two patronymic surnames that originated in a first name. You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. Remember, if you want information on a surname that hasn’t appeared in my book or been a subject of a previous blog do let me know.
Maps for the surnames Bosanko and Penaluna
Two surnames that originated in one parish and ramified in another. You can find maps of these in 1861 for comparison here. Remember, if you want information on a surname that hasn’t appeared in my book or been a subject of a previous blog do let me know.
Cornish studies resources 