Cornish
names were used in southwest England in the region around Cornwall.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
CARLYON CornishCornish: habitational name from any of three places in Cornwall called Carlyon, in St. Minver and Kea parishes. The first element is Celtic ker ‘fort’; the second could represent the plural of Cornish legh ‘slab’.
CHEGWIN CornishMeans "person who lives in or by a white house" (from Cornish
chy "house" +
gwyn "white").
EDEVANE Welsh, CornishA rare Welsh surname, believed to be of Cornish origin. This surname is made up of two elements. ‘Ed’ is not a shortened form of Edward, but derives from the ancient (Old English?) ‘ead’ meaning ‘prosperity’ and/or ‘happiness’...
[more] GLYNN Welsh, CornishTopographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Welsh
glyn, Cornish
glin, or a habitational name from a place named with this word.
JAGO CornishA patronym, Jago is the Cornish for James but is most commonly found as a surname. It dates back to the early 13th Century.
KENWYN Cornish (Rare)This surname is derived from the name of a town and river in Cornwall, England (called Keynwynn in Cornish). It is said that the name is derived from Cornish
keyn meaning "back, keel, ridge" and
gwynn meaning "white, fair, blessed."
MENEAR Cornish, English (British)English (Devon; of Cornish origin): topographic name for someone who lived by a menhir, i.e. a tall standing stone erected in prehistoric times (Cornish men ‘stone’ + hir ‘long’). In the United States, it is a common surname in Pennsylvania & West Virginia.
MOYLE Cornish, WelshCornish and Welsh: descriptive nickname meaning ‘bald’, from Cornish
moyl, Welsh
moel.
NANCARROW CornishMeans "person from Nancarrow", Cornwall (either "valley frequented by deer" or "rough valley"). It was borne by US composer Conlon Nancarrow (1912-1997).
NANCE CornishMedieval Cornish surname. Derived from the Celtic word 'nans', meaning valley. Often linked with the Breton surname 'de Nant', which also means valley.
NANKERVIS Cornish, English (Australian)From the name of a place in St Enoder parish in Cornwall, derived from Cornish
nans "valley" and an uncertain second element, possibly *
cerwys, an unattested plural of
carow "stag"....
[more] OPIE English, CornishFrom the medieval personal name
Oppy or
Obby, a diminutive of such names as
Osbert,
Osborn, and
Osbald. Bearers of this surname include British portrait and history painter John Opie (1761-1807) and British authors and folklorists Peter Opie (1918-82) and his wife Iona Opie (née Archibald; 1923-).
PASCOE CornishCornish form of Pascal, meaning "easter", with the Cornish patronymic suffix, -o.
PENHALIGON CornishOriginally meant "person from Penhaligon", Cornwall ("willow-tree hill"). It is borne by Susan Penhaligon (1950-), a British actress.
PENROSE Cornish, WelshOriginally meant "person from Penrose", Cornwall, Herefordshire and Wales ("highest part of the heath or moorland"). It is borne by the British mathematician Sir Roger Penrose (1931-)....
[more] PRIDEAUX CornishMeans "person from Prideaux, earlier Pridias", Cornwall (perhaps based on Cornish
prȳ "clay"). The modern Frenchified spelling is based on the idea that the name comes from French
près d'eaux "near waters" or
pré d'eaux "meadow of waters".
RESTORICK CornishMeans "person from Restowrack", farm in Cornwall ("watery hill-spur").
ROSEVEAR Cornish, EnglishFrom the name of a Cornish village near St Mawgan which derives from Celtic
ros "moor, heath" and
vur "big".
SMALLEY English, Cornish (?)Locational surname from places in Derbyshire and Lancashire, so called from Old English
smæl ‘narrow’ +
leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’. This may also be a Cornish name with an entirely separate meaning.
SPARGO CornishCornish: habitational name from Higher or Lower Spargo, in the parish of Mabe, so named from Cornish spern ‘thorn bushes’ + cor ‘enclosure'.
TREBILCOCK CornishMeans "person from Trebilcock", Cornwall (apparently "dear one's farmstead"). The final -
ck is standardly silent.
TREGURTHA CornishA rare Cornish surname that derives its name from either the manor of Tregurtha in the parish of St. Hilary (located in west Cornwall) or from the hamlet of Tregurtha Barton in the parish of St. Wenn (located in central Cornwall)...
[more] TREMAINE CornishComes from the Cornish words "tre", meaning settlement and "men", meaning stone.
TREVELYAN Welsh, CornishDerived from a place-name which originally meant "farmstead ' trev' or Tref (town in Welsh) of Elyan".
TREVITHICK CornishMeans "person from Trevithick", the name of various places in Cornwall ("farmstead" with a range of personal names). It was borne by British engineer Richard Trevithick (1771-1833), developer of the steam engine.
TREZISE CornishMeans "person from Trezise or Tresayes", Cornwall ("Englishman's farmstead").
VERRAN CornishPerhaps means "person from Treverran", Cornwall (from Cornish
tre "farmstead" with an unknown second element), or "person from Veryan", Cornwall ("church of St
Symphorian").
WAKEHAM English, CornishA locational surname for someone who lived in one of three places called Wakeham in various parts of England, including Cornwall and/or Devon.