The verb ‘to swig’ is now associated with drinking. This has been suggested as the origin of the surname Swiggs, which could either be a nickname or an occupational name for someone who made drinking vessels. But that’s all guesswork. What is less conjectural is its Cornish geography. The name, as Swigg, had emerged in … Continue reading Cornish surname detection: three more lesser-found examples
Tag: surnames
Three unexpected Cornish surnames
These three surnames don’t look Cornish. Yet two thirds of Spriddles and Stidefords in the UK in the 1800s were found in Cornwall, while one third of the Stenlakes/Stanlakes were also Cornish, with most of the rest in Devon. Spriddle is suggested to be a nickname, from the words for a spirit or for a … Continue reading Three unexpected Cornish surnames
More rare Cornish surnames
Skin is an occupational surname, short for Skinner. Its origin in Cornwall is unambiguous. Several men named Skin lived in the parishes around Saltash in 1544. Later, the surname cropped up further west, which may indicate migration or could just be independent examples of this variant. Nonetheless, south-east Cornwall remained the preferred home for this … Continue reading More rare Cornish surnames
Cornish surnames of the far west and the far east
One might be excused for assuming that the surname Sangwin must have a Cornish language derivation – gwin meaning white. However, its past geography quickly dispels such a notion. John Sangwin was found at Launcells, on the border with Devon, in 1525. The surname was recorded as early as the 1270s at Whimple in east … Continue reading Cornish surnames of the far west and the far east
Cornish surnames with origins in Penryn, Devon and France
The next three in our rare Cornish surnames series originated in places far apart. In fact, sufficiently far apart that we are able to display all three migrations on just one map. Roskrow is a place near Penryn, meaning rough land or moor with a hut. Peter and John Rescrow in Penryn and St Gluvias … Continue reading Cornish surnames with origins in Penryn, Devon and France
Three tricky Cornish surnames
Explanations for my next three rarer Cornish surnames are by no means clear-cut. Reep is a name found in Cornwall from at least the 1540s, with John Reep at Antony and Thomas Ryppe at St Germans, echoing the presence of the same name just across the Tamar in Devon. It’s claimed to be occupational, from … Continue reading Three tricky Cornish surnames
A trio of Cornish surnames – from the transparent to the obscure
Polgrean is a Cornish placename meaning gravel pit. It’s hardly uncommon, cropping up in at least eight parishes from Ludgvan in the west to St Veep in the east. By 1861 Polgreans were confined largely to West Penwith, with just single Polgrean households at Falmouth and St Germans. But in the seventeenth century there were … Continue reading A trio of Cornish surnames – from the transparent to the obscure
Locative Cornish surnames with a hint of mystery
While all three of the following surnames have their origin in placenames, or at least we assume they do, all three contain an element of mystery. It’s been suggested that Penver, which looks immaculately Cornish, has its origin in Penmear or Penmeur, meaning a large hill-top. The only problem with this interpretation is that no-one … Continue reading Locative Cornish surnames with a hint of mystery
Some Cornish surnames with single points of origin
My next three less common Cornish surnames all have obvious points of origin although in the case of the first this may be a district rather than a single parish. Pawlyn is a pet form of Paul, retaining the conservative spelling of Pawl which was usual in the early 1500s. At that time people called … Continue reading Some Cornish surnames with single points of origin
Three more rare Cornish surnames, although one was from Devon
Olivey is claimed to have come from the Latin saint Oliva, although it’s just as possible it was a variant of the name Oliver, from an old French first name. Oliver was quite common in sixteenth century Cornwall but I can find no Oliveys that early. The spelling Olivey first appeared on the Lizard and … Continue reading Three more rare Cornish surnames, although one was from Devon
Cornish studies resources 