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

R.D. Blackmore comments in Lorna Doone that ‘others were of high family, as any need be, in Devon – Carews and Bouchiers, and Bastards.’

Bate, Bates, Batesonsee BARTHOLOMEW.

Batha, Bathaw, Bather, Batho, Battamssee ABADAM.

Battsee BARTHOLOMEW.

Battersby (Eng) Someone who came from a place so-named because it was ‘Bothvarr’s village.’ The -by in such names is common in places where Scandinavian invaders settled. It represents an Old Norse byr ‘village, homestead.’ Other typical English place names that became surnames are BOOTHBY, BURNABY, BUSBY, CATESBY, CONINGSBY, DANBY, DERBY, DIGBY, DIMBLEBY, FRISBY, GOADBY, HORNBY, KEARBY, KIRBY, RIGBY, ROKEBY, SAXBY, SELBY, SLINGSBY, SOWERBY, SWINDERBY, THIRLBY, WELBY, WHITBY, WILLOUGHBY. Occasionally, however, surnames ending in -by have a different origin. See, for example, LIBBY, TUBBY.

Baudrey, Baudricksee BALDREY.

Bavonsee EVAN.

Baxtersee BAKER.

Baylehachesee BAILHACHE.

Beaconsfieldsee STANSFIELD.

Beadle, Beaddall, Beadel, Beadell, Beadles, Beddall, Beddell, Bedell, Bedle, Beedle, Biddell, Biddle, Biddles, Buddell, Buddle, Buddles (Eng) These are all linked to a ‘beadle,’ who would have been a junior law official during the surname-formation period. One of his jobs was to make public announcements.

Mr Bumble, the beadle in Dickens’s Oliver Twist, also takes it upon himself to name the foundlings. ‘We name our foundlin’s in alphabetical order. The last was a S – Swubble: I named him. This was a T – Twist: I named him. The next one as comes will be Unwin, and the next Vilkins. I have got the names ready made to the end of the alphabet, and all the way through it again, when we come to Z.’ This explanation evokes an admiring ‘Why, you’re quite a literary character, sir’ from Mrs Mann.

Beak, Beake (Eng) Nickname for a man with a big nose.

Beaker, Beakerman, Beakers, Beekerman (Eng) Occupational name for a potter who made drinking vessels.

Bean, Beane, Beans, MacBain, MacBayne, MacBean, MacVain (Eng, Scot) As an English name, Bean could indicate someone who grew and sold beans, but there was a Middle English word bene which meant ‘pleasant, kindly’ which could have led to Bean as a complimentary nickname. As a Scottish name Bean, MACBAIN etc. refer to a descendant of Beathan ‘life’, a Gaelic personal name. See GAVIN.

Beard, Beartsee WHITBREAD.

Beaton, Beeton (Eng) Someone who originally came from Béthune in Normandy.

Beatsonsee BARTHOLOMEW.

Beauclerksee CLARK.

Beaulieu, Beaulieux, Bewley (Fre) Someone who came from one of the many French places so-named because it was considered to be a ‘lovely place.’

Bewley indicates the pronunciation that became normal in England, a fact commented on by J.C. Keyte in Minsan: ‘Vernon Beaulieu - and you must pronounce it “Bewley” if you please, or have a half-hour recitation on philology.’

Beaumansee BOWMAN.

Beausiresee BELCHER.

Beavan, Beavand, Beaven, Beavinsee EVAN.

Beavis, Beaves, Beevis, Beves, Bevis, Beviss, Bovis (Eng) A nickname for a ‘handsome son.’ French beau fils now means ‘son-in-law,’ but this meaning came too late to account for the surname. The latter could, however, indicate someone who originally came from Beauvais or Beauvois. There are several places with such names in northern France.

Beavonsee EVAN.

Bedardsee EDWARDS.

Beddallsee BEADLE.

Beddardsee EDWARDS.

Beddell, Bedell, Bedle, Beedlesee BEADLE.

Bedward, Bedwartsee EDWARDS.

Bedworth (Eng) Someone who originally came from the place of this name in Warwickshire, so-called because it was ‘Beda’s homestead.’

The name is treated rather harshly in J.I.M. Stuart’s novel A Memorial Service, where a conversation runs: ‘Here’s a damned impertinent letter from God knows who - calls himself Piddlebed, or some such.’ ‘Bedworth,’ I said. ‘Bedworth, Bedpan - I don’t give a fart for the fellow’s name.’

Beetonsee BEATON.

Beevissee BEAVIS.

Belcher, Belshaw, Belsher, Bewcher, Bewshaw, Bewshea, Bewsher, Bowsher (Eng) This seems to have become confused with a common medieval term of address, roughly equivalent to ‘fair sir,’ found as BEAUSIRE, BOWSER, BELSIRE, though it began independently as Norman French bel chere ‘fair face.’ No one has ever suggested that Belcher might occasionally have something to do with eructation, though medieval nicknames were not concerned with politeness. This is presumably because the name was usually pronounced Belsher. Also, the Old English verb bealcian ‘to belch’ is not recorded as a noun until the 16th century. However, the voidance of wind from the lower region is certainly commented on in English surnames such as PETARD, PETTER, PETHARD and the French names PETAIN, PETON, PETOT. It would be surprising if someone’s habit of belching frequently was not commented on by his medieval contemporaries.

Bell, Beller, Bellman (Eng, Scot) Bell is a common name because it is derived from many sources. John atte Bell, who is mentioned in a medieval document, lived near a public bell or at the sign of the bell. John le Bel would have been a ‘handsome’ fellow, but other Bells were descended from an Isobel, or were bell-ringers, or made bells.

Bellingham (Eng) Descendant of someone who originally came from one of the places so-named because it was ‘Beora’s homestead’ or ‘homestead on or near a bell-shaped hill.’

Bellis, Bellisonsee ELLIS.

Bellmansee BELL.

Bellsmithsee SMITH.

Bellysesee ELLIS.

Belshaw, Belsher, Belsiresee BELCHER.

Belsiresee BELCHER.

Bennett, Bendick, Benedict, Bennedick, Bennet, Bennet, Bennetts (Eng, Scot) Descendant of a man named Benedict. This was the name of several saints, the most influential being the 5th century monk who founded the Benedictine Order. Professor Reaney remarks that the Latin name Benedictus ‘blessed’ was invariably used in the Middle Ages in its colloqial French form Beneit, which led directly to Bennett. He wonders therefore whether surnames such as Benedict and Benedick, which clearly derive directly from the Latin word, were not nicknames for someone whose favourite saying was ‘Benedicte!’ ‘bless you!’ Speakers in the Middle Ages used a wide variety of oaths, such as ‘God wot!’ ‘by my troth!’ ‘for God’s sake!’ Several of these ‘oath names’ became English surnames. Bennett is the English form of this name, Bennet is more usual in Scotland.

Benson, Bennison, Bennson (Eng) Descendant of a man named Benedict, see BENNETT. However, Benson is also an Oxfordshire place name ‘Banesa’s settlement’ from which the ancestors of some families of this name may have come.

Bentham (Eng) Descendant of someone who originally came from one of the places so-named because it was a ‘homestead on bent (reedy) grass.’

Bernard, Barnard (Eng) Descendant of a man named Bernard. This is a Norman form of a given name that existed as Beornheard in Old English. The first element means ‘bear,’ the second is ‘hardy, brave.’

The St Bernard dog commemorates Saint Bernard of Menthon (923–1008), who founded hospices on what are now known as the Great St Bernard Pass and Little St Bernard Pass in the Alps. The dogs were kept at the hospices to help rescue lost travellers.

Berrimansee BURY.