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

Ballachey, Ballechett, Ballhatchetsee BAILHACHE.

Ballaster, Ballester, Ballister, Balster, Bolister (Eng) Occupational name for a crossbow-maker or a soldier armed with one. There is a connection with the word ballistics.

Ballocksee BULLOCK.

Balsillie (Scot) Descendant of someone who originally came from the Scottish village of this name, near Leslie In Fife. It is probably from Gaelic baile-seilich ‘willow-tree farm.’

Balstersee BALLASTER.

Bandra, Bandrew, Bandrey, Bandrosee ANDREW.

Banks, Banker, Bankes (Eng) Descendant of someone who lived near a river bank or on sloping ground. In an Irish context Banks can be the Anglicized form of the Gaelic Bruachán ‘corpulent,’ also found as O’Brogan.

Bannister, Banister, Bannester (Eng) Occupational name of a basket weaver.

Barber, Barbour (Eng) Occupational name of a barber, who spent as much time trimming beards as cutting hair. He was also the local doctor and dentist, hence the description:

His pole with pewter basons hung,

Black, rotten teeth in order strung,

Rang’d cups that in the window stood,

Lined with red rags to look like blood,

Did well his threefold trade explain,

Who shaved, drew teeth, and breathed a vein.

BarbyseeBARROW.

Bardonsee BARNES.

Barebone (Eng) The Little Parliament in Cromwell’s time was headed by Praise-God Barebone, His name is variously recorded as Barbon, Barborne, which suggests that his ancestors came from Barbourne, in Worcestershire, a place named for its ‘beaver stream.’

Barebone’s given name Praise-God was a typical Puritan slogan name of the 17th century. Two of Praise-God’s brothers had the names Jesus-Christ-came-into-the-world-to save Barebone and If-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned Barebone. The latter was known to most of his contemporaries as Damned Barebone, partly because of his immoral behaviour. A special study of such given names was made by Charles Bardsley and published as Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature.

Barfootsee PUDDY.

Barham (Eng) Descendant of someone who originally came from one of the places so-named because it was a ‘hill homestead.’ The Kentish place of this name was instead ‘Biora’s homestead.’

Barker (Eng) Occupational name for a tanner, who used tree bark when converting hides into leather. But many Barkers have an ancestor who was a shepherd, the name having absorbed Bircher.

Barnardsee BERNARD.

Barnes, Barne, Barns (Eng) Descendant of someone who lived near or worked in barns, which were originally places for storing barley. Barnes is also a place in Surrey, named for its ‘barns,’ where some bearers of the name may originally have lived. The name can also mean descendant of Barne, a personal name representing Old English beorn ‘young aristocrat’ or Old Norse bjorn ‘bear.’ In an Irish context Barnes is likely to be an Anglicized form of the Gaelic personal names Bearán ‘spear,’ (found also as Barrane, Barrington, Barron, O’Barran, O’Barrane) or Bardán ‘bard,’ (found also as Bardon).

Barnet, Barnett (Eng) Descendant of a man named Bernard, or someone who came from a place named Barnet. The place name indicated a place where the vegetation had been ‘burned’ away.

Baron, Barron (Eng, Scot) A nickname for someone who acted in a haughty way; in Scotland a title used for a land-owner.

Barr, Barrs (Eng, Scot, Welsh, French) Descendant of someone who lived by a town or castle gate. He could instead have come from Barr in Ayrshire or Renfrewshire, or from Great Barr in Staffordshire, or from places in France such as Barre-en-Ouche, Barre-de-Semilly. Other possible explanations of this name are ‘maker or seller of bars or stakes,’ and nickname for a tall, thin man.

Barranesee BARNES.

Barras, Barrasfordsee BARROW.

Barrell (Eng) Occupational name of a cooper, maker of barrels or casks, or a nickname for someone who was barrel-shaped. Occasionally a form of Barwell, a place in Leicestershire, and indicating someone who originally came from there.

Barrington (Eng) Someone who came from one of the several places so-named because it was ‘Bara’s or Beorn’s settlement.’ For the meaning in Ireland see BARNES.

Barronsee BARNES and BARON.

Barrow, Barby, Barras, Barrasford, Barrowby, Barrowden, Barrowford, Barrows, Barugh, Barway, Barwise, Berrow (Eng) Descendant of someone who originally came from one of the many places named for its ‘barrow,’ a word meaning either a grove of trees or a long low burial mound.

Barrssee BARR.

Barshamsee BASHAM.

Bartholomew, Baitson, Barson, Bart, Bartie, Bartle, Bartleet, Bartlet, Bartleman, Bartlett, Barty, Bason, Bate, Bates, Bateson, Batt, Beatson (Eng) Descendant of a man called Bartholomew, an Aramaic name which occurs in the Old Testament. It means ‘son of Tolmai,’ itself another biblical name occurring as Talmai.

Film buffs associate the name Bates with Psycho, the Hitchcock film based on a novel by Robert Bloch. Anthony Perkins played the part of Norman Bates, killer of a young woman in a much-imitated shower scene.

Barton (Eng) Someone who came from one of the several places so-named because it was a ‘settlement where barley was grown.’

The name seems to have appealed to writers: George Eliot writes about Amos Barton in Scenes of Clerical Life and the heroine of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton bears that name. For several years (1946–1951) the adventures of Dick Barton, ‘Special Agent,’ captivated the British radio audience.

Bartrick, Brightrich (Eng) Descendant of Beorhtric, an Old English personal name composed of elements meaning ‘brightruler.’

Bartysee BARTHOLOMEW.

Barugh, Barway, Barwisesee BARROW.

Barwellsee BARRELL.

Basham, Barsham, Bassham (Eng) Descendant of someone who originally came from one of the places so-named because it was ‘Bar’s homestead,’ Bar being a personal name meaning ‘wild boar.’

A Mr Basham of Guernsey who was an osteopath once attracted a certain amount of media attention.

Basonsee BARTHOLOMEW.

Bass, Bassettsee FISH.

Basshamsee BASHAM.

Bastard (Eng) Descendant of an illegitimate child. For obvious reasons bearers of this name tend to change it in modern times. The word itself is avoided because it has become a term of abuse.

Dickens was still able to have Oliver Twist referred to as ‘a bastard child,’ though he went on to say that the word was a reproach to whoever used the word rather than the person at whom it was aimed.