An updated and revised edition of The Surnames of Cornwall, a gazetteer of family names in Cornwall was published in August 2024. The original surnames project aimed to inject a bit more rigour into the study of surnames by looking at the historical evidence for their geographical distribution and at early spellings. This often enables us to pin down their origin and sometimes helps confirm suggested meanings. This new edition of The Surnames of Cornwall:
- contains 263 pages, 50 more than the first edition.
- gives the purported meanings for 860 of the surnames which were the most common or the most unique to Cornwall in past times.
- includes spelling variants of the names.
- several entries are updated from first edition.
- describes the areas in which the names originated and where they were found in the 1800s.
- notes some well-known bearers of some of the names.
- includes an extended introduction setting out the context for the study of surnames.
The book is supported by maps (see example below), which are online at this site. These provide snapshots of the distribution of names in the 1861 Census. Similar maps of distributions in the 16th and 17th centuries will be added over time.
The paperback book is on sale at Amazon for £11.99 plus postage.
In the US this is $15.42 plus postage and in Australia A$25.65 plus post.
There is also an ebook, priced at £4.99 in the UK, $6.42 in the US and A$9.70 in Australia.
And for the first time, The Surnames of Cornwall is offered as a hardback at £17.99 plus postage or $23.13 plus postage in the US. (Unfortunately currently unavailable in Australia).
Some reviews of the first edition of The Surnames of Cornwall:
Cornish studies resources 
How do I order from the USA?
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It’s available from amazon usa at https://www.amazon.com/Surnames-Cornwall-Bernard-Deacon/dp/0951391852/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=surnames+of+cornwall&qid=1575560264&s=books&sr=1-1
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Hi! My mother’s family roots have led me to Cornwall – names I am particularly interested in following are Juliff, Bosanko, Wearne, Penaluna – most of which seem to be in and around the Wendron area. Would any of your publications shed any light on any of these particular names? Thank you.
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Hi Stephanie. All four of those names are in my book on Cornish surnames. You can find maps of their distribution in 1861 on this site and I’ll add them to the queue for another map at an earlier point in time.
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Hi There are lots of other Cornish surnames that are not included on the list shown. I am a Curnow by birth and have Bolitho, Baragwanath, Grenfell Jelbert (Gilbert) etc in my line none of them are the Pol Pen Tre etc but I also have Trewhella
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All the names you mention are in my book The Surnames of Cornwall
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hello,
I’ve only just discovered that my family is from Cornwall. Their name is Bailey, and they came to the States around 1800, or before. Would they be in your book?
Thank you so much,
Pat Hampton
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Hello Pat, Bailey was a fairly common surname in 19th century Cornwall (although not as frequent as in some other places) and does indeed get a mention in the book.
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Hi there, super exciting and looking into grabbing a copy of the book for my Dad who was born in Cornwall. Our family name is Lampshire and i’m interested if that features in the book?
Thanks!
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It does, although I found it a little puzzling.
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Oh really? How so?
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Does your book include Sholl? Thanks
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Sorry – no.
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thanks anyway. Any further info on that surname, 1700/1800s around Kenwyn Thanks
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It’s a Cornish name sure enough – present around the Camel estuary from the 16th century. It seems to have moved to the Truro district in the mid-1600s and then ramified there, before declining in numbers in the 1800s. As for its meaning, the surname dictionaries tell us it’s ‘uncertain’. It looks unlikely to be a locative name – the early spelling is always Shole but there’s no obvious placename that could have given rise to that.
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Hi Sally, I am in Australia, born Plymouth my father’s family was Sholl. My mother’s Blatchford.
Wendy, nee Sholl
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Are you able please to tell me if the name Berryman or Berriman are Cornish names and if they could have been miners from Redruth as they migrated to Australia and worked out of Broken Hill as miners and named an area nearby Redruth.
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Berryman/Berriman is a common surname in Cornwall, especially in west Penwith. For the distribution of the name in 1861 see here https://bernarddeacon.com/berriman/ If they named the area Redruth then it looks very likely they were from Redruth or nearby.
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My mothers maiden name was Lewarne. We can go back quite a few generations in the published family tree but have never been too sure where it originated. There is a similar name I believe mentioned pre- Doomsday in the Clowance area. Any thoughts?
Really enjoy reading your blogs. Thank you.
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Pre-domesday 95% plus of people would have had only one name. Surnames only began to be attached after the 11th century. I’ve not come across Lewarne as a first name so the source for that would be interesting. In my book I sat on the fence and said the origin of the name is ‘uncertain’. It didn’t seem to appear until the 17th century and was restricted to mid-Cornwall, As the name Lewarren also appeared around the same time I speculated whether there was a connection of Lewarne with the more common surnames Warne and/or Warren.
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Curious what you see about Trewhella?
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My mothers surname was Lyndon, from around St Just in Roseland, and my fathers is Lagor from the Charlestown area. Please are the names in your book?
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Sorry, Colin and Carole, but they aren’t. These are exceptionally rare surnames – there were only two heads of household called Lagar in 1861, one at Veryan and the other at St Ewe, neither that far from Charlestown. The name seems to have first appeared near Looe in the 1590s before ramifying at Veryan. It was quite often spelt Lagoe. Meanwhile, there were no Lyndons at all in the 1861 census.
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I guess my Cornish Surname isnt i your book either. “Chard”….
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Sorry, Chrissie. You guessed right – it didnlt make the cut. However, you probably already know that it first appeared in the parish records in 1602 in Calstock although that line seems to have disappeared. It then returns in the 1710s around Looe and the far south-east of Cornwall and thereafter more widely, almost always in ports and coastal parishes however. Reinforcing that, over half of all Chard households in 1861 were found at Falmouth.
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Hi, Notice you haven’t got Lewarne in there, but have you got Rosewarne also Glasson from the Truro area ? Many thanks !
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There are notes on all three of those surnames, including Lewarne, in the book.
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Trewhella is in the new book?
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Yes, it was in the first edition as well. No surnames have been removed for the second edition, just 100 rarer and distinctly Cornish ones added.
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Are there any Eustice/Eustace be interested to know, all from Ludgvan area
Thank you
Sandra Reed-Jennings
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The surname Eustice does indeed figure in the book. However, each entry is a general guide to the meaning, origin and distribution over time rather than an identification of individuals in particular places. For maps of the name see https://bernarddeacon.com/data-on-cornish-surnames/
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Hi! Is my surname Chellew in the book? My grandfather was a Cornishman. His wife was Orchard, she was also Cornish.
Thanks!
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Yes, both Chellew and Orchard make an appearance.
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is the surname Huthnance mentioned in the book?
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Unfortunately not, but it’s from a placename – see the comments to the post at https://bernarddeacon.com/2020/05/28/from-rarer-cornish-surnames-to-surnames-on-demand/ and at https://bernarddeacon.com/cornish-surnames/what-makes-a-surname-cornish/. Or put the word Huthnance into the search box to go to these pages.
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Hi. How can I obtain a copy of your book in Canada? Is the ebook available to me? I tried the amazon link but the book was showing as unavailable. Thank you.
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Hi, That’s a puzzle as I’ve just checked the Canadian Amazon page and all formats of the book are shown as available. There were also sales of this and other books through the Canada site over the past few months. I can only suggest you try again.
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ok, I found it… I didn’t even think to check it there, I clicked on the link from one of the posts that took me to us Amazon. All is good now, the book is on its way. I feel like an idiot but thank you so much!
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Hope you enjoy it!
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