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
Tag: surnames
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
Local Cornish surnames, but which locality?
All three of the following surnames were originally derived from placenames, although the exact location of that name is open to a little doubt. Nancollas is a surname which has a long association with St Austell. John Nancolas was found in that parish in 1543. But there is nowhere called Nancollas in Cornwall. One possible … Continue reading Local Cornish surnames, but which locality?
The role of luck in the history of surnames
While giving a talk on surnames last week at Madron, just outside Penzance, I was reminded of the role of chance in the history of family names. One unpredictable aspect was the relative proportion of male children born. If several boys were born into a family and they all survived, then the family name was … Continue reading The role of luck in the history of surnames
Three surnames from the Fal district
The nineteenth century distribution of a surname is sometimes a good guide to its point of origin, sometimes less so. Take the following three names, which are all likely to have begun life in the district around the Fal estuary in south Cornwall. Mankee was a name associated entirely with west Cornwall in 1861, with … Continue reading Three surnames from the Fal district
Cornish surnames where the spelling obscures the origin
Sometimes the changing spellings of surnames can tend to confuse us. The first example is fairly obvious. The name Lidgey began life in the early 1600s in Redruth and on the Lizard (where it was more likely to be Ludgy). It doesn’t take a great deal of detective work to find the placename Lidgey at … Continue reading Cornish surnames where the spelling obscures the origin
Cornish studies resources 