Collins Dictionary Of Surnames: From Abbey to Mutton, Nabbs to Zouch

Carlyon (Eng) Someone who came from one of the Cornish places bearing this name, probably because of nearby ‘earthworks of slate or shake.’

Marie Corelli says of one of her characters in Delicia: ‘He was absolutely devoid of all ambition, save a desire to have his surname pronounced correctly. “Car-lee-on,” he would say, with polite emphasis, “not Car-ly-on. Our name is an old, historical one, and like many of its class is spelt one way and pronounced another”.’

Carne (Eng) Descendant of someone who originally lived near a carn, a pile of rocks. This word is a common element in Cornish place names.

Carpenter (Eng) Occupational name of a carpenter.

Carrsee KERR.

Carrésee QUARRY.

Carrington (Eng, Scot) Someone who came from one of the several places so-named because it was ‘Cora’s settlement.’

Carroll, Carrol, Carvil, MacCarroll, MacKarrill, O’Carroll, O’Carrowill, O’Carvill, O’Carwell (Irish) Descendant of Cearbhall, a Gaelic personal name of uncertain meaning, though suggestions include ‘hart, stag’ and ‘hacking.’

Carswell see Creswell.

Carter, Charter (Eng) Occupational name of a carter, who transported goods.

Nick Carter is the fictional American detective who appears in over 500 stories, written by many different authors. He is able to disguise himself even more effectively than Sherlock Holmes. He was created as long ago as 1886.

Cartonsee MACCARTNEY.

Cartwright, Cardrick, Cartrick, Cartridge, Kortwright (Eng) Occupational name for a maker of carts.

Carvilsee CARROLL.

Casewell, Casswell, Caswall, Caswell, Caswillsee CRESWELL.

Catchersee CATCHPOLE.

Catchlove, Cutliffe, Cutloff, Cutlove (Eng) Occupational name of a hunter. The ‘love’ in this name is from Old French loup or love ‘wolf’. Hunters or trappers of wolves could also be known as PRETLOVE, PRITLOVE, PRYKKELOVE ‘prick, kill wolf;’ TRUSLOVE, TRUSLOW, TRUSSLER ‘carry off wolf; BINDLESS, BINDLOES, BINDLOSS, BYNDLOES ‘bind wolf’; SPENDLOVE, SPENDLOW, SPENLOW, SPINDLOWE ‘disembowel wolf’; HACHEWOLF ‘hack wolf’.

Catchpole, Catchpoll, Catchpool, Catchpoole, Catchpoule, Chacepol (Eng) Literally, a man who was allowed to ‘catch fowl’ to offset someone’s taxes or other debts. A nickname for a bailiff. He might also be known more simply as a CATCHER or KETCHER.

Cater, Cator, Chaytor (Eng) Occupational name for someone who purchased provisions for a large household. Such an official was known in French as an acheteur or by the Norman French variant acatour ‘buyer.’ The word caterer is from the same source.

Catesby (Eng) Someone who came from a place so-named because it was the ‘settlement of Kati’s people.’

Caudell, Caudle, Caudwell, Cauldwellsee CALDWELL.

Caul, Caule, Caulessee CALLER.

Cavaliersee CHEVALIER.

Cawdellsee CALDWELL.

Cawkersee CHALK.

Caxton (Eng) Someone who came from a place so-named because it was ‘Kakkr’s settlement.’

Chacepolsee CATCHPOLE.

Chalk, Cawker, Chalke, Chalker, Chalkman, Chaulk (Eng) These names clearly refer to chalk in one way or another. The name-bearers may have been suppliers of chalk, since it was used for various purposes, eg as a whitewash and as a hardening agent by potters. The names could also indicate someone who originally came from one of the many English places named for its chalky soil.

Chamberlain, Chalmers, Chamberlaine, Chamberlayne, Chamberlen, Chamberlin, Chambers, Champerlen (Eng) An occupational name originally designating someone who managed the private chambers of his employer, normally a nobleman or perhaps the king himself. At the highest level he was a very influential official. Later chamber-attendants operated at a much humbler level and were more like chamber-maids.

Popular newspapers were delighted to report on the wedding, in the 1970s, of a Mr Chambers to a Miss Potts. It was inevitably described as ‘a marriage of convenience.’

L.G. Pine writes, in The Story of Surnames: ‘Chamberlain, not in most cases derived from any office of great profit or standing, but from the inn chamberlain, who looked after the arriving guests. The German name, now acclimatised in England, ZIMMERMAN, brings it out better – room man, the fellow who allotted the guests their rooms in the inn.’ A German Zimmermann is more likely to have helped build a bedroom or the bed itself. The name means ‘carpenter.’ Zimmer does indeed mean ‘room’ in modern German, but in the Middle Ages it would have been Zimber, a form showing its connection with ‘timber.’

Chamblysee CHOLMONDELEY.

Champerlensee CHAMBERLAIN.

Chancesee HAZARD.

Channonsee CANNON.

Chapesee CAPRON.

Chaperlin, Chaperlingsee CHAPLIN.

Chaperonsee CAPRON.

Chaplin, Capelen, Capelin, Capeling, Caplen, Caplin, Chaperlin, Chaperling, Chaplain, Chapling (Eng) Occupational name for the servant of a clergyman.

Charles Chaplin, in My Autobiography, writes: ‘I started schooling and was taught to write my name “Chaplin.” The word fascinated me and looked like me, I thought.’

Chapman, Chapper, Cheeper, Chipman, Chipper (Eng) Occupational man for a trader, a man who bought and sold articles. The first element in Chapman is from Old English ceap, which led to the words ‘chap,’ ‘cheap’ and ‘chop’ (as in ‘chop and change.’)

Chapronsee CAPRON.

Charlton (Eng) Someone who came from one of the several places so-named because it was a ‘settlement of free peasants.’

Chartersee CARTER.

Chasselovesee LOVE.

Chatham (Eng) Descendant of someone who originally came from one of the places so-named because it was a ‘homestead near a forest.’

Chatterton (Eng) Probably someone who came from a place named Chadderton, ‘settlement near a hill.’

Chatterley, the name made famous by D.H. Lawrence in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, has much the same meaning. Lawrence was presumably being ironic when he gave his heroine the first name Constance.

Chaucer, Chauser (Eng) Occupational name of a maker of leather leg-wear. Ernest Weekley disliked complicated explanations of a name when a simple one was available, and he agreed that the evidence for the origin of this name from French chauceor ‘hose-maker’ was convincing. He nevertheless suggested that some families of this name might have an ancestor who was a chauffecire, literally a ‘heat wax.’ Some English writers (though only from the 17th century onwards) used the term ‘chafe-’ or ‘chaff-wax’ to describe the Chancery official who prepared wax that was used to seal official documents. Weekley also suggested that a Chaucer, Chauser might have been a ‘chalicer,’ a maker of drinking cups or goblets. Of these various possibilities, ‘hose-maker’ remains by far the most likely.

Chaulksee CHALK.