Behind the Name: Cornish Submitted Surnames

Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.

CARLYONCornish
Cornish: 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’.

CHEGWINCornish
Means "person who lives in or by a white house" (from Cornish chy "house" + gwyn "white").

EDEVANEWelsh, Cornish
A 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]

GLYNNWelsh, Cornish
Topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, Welsh glyn, Cornish glin, or a habitational name from a place named with this word.

GOLDSWORTHYCornish
Means "field of feast," from the Cornish gol-erewy.

JAGOCornish
A patronym, Jago is the Cornish for James but is most commonly found as a surname. It dates back to the early 13th Century.

KENWYNCornish (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."

KERNEBONEEnglish, Cornish
Cornish

MENEARCornish, 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.

MOYLECornish, Welsh
Cornish and Welsh: descriptive nickname meaning ‘bald’, from Cornish moyl, Welsh moel.

NANCARROWCornish
Means "person from Nancarrow", Cornwall (either "valley frequented by deer" or "rough valley"). It was borne by US composer Conlon Nancarrow (1912-1997).

NANCECornish
Medieval Cornish surname. Derived from the Celtic word 'nans', meaning valley. Often linked with the Breton surname 'de Nant', which also means valley.

NANKERVISCornish (Modern)
Earliest known form "Nankervell" arriving in Plymouth Cornwall in the early 1300's. "Nankervis" heirs branched to the United States and Australia. Etymology: "Nank" Meaning Stag (or horse) and "ervis" roughly meaning valley or low ground... [more]

PASCOECornish
Cornish form of Pascal, meaning "easter", with the Cornish patronymic suffix, -o.

PENHALIGONCornish
Originally meant "person from Penhaligon", Cornwall ("willow-tree hill"). It is borne by Susan Penhaligon (1950-), a British actress.

PENROSECornish, Welsh
Originally 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]

PRIDEAUXCornish
Means "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".

RESTORICKCornish
Means "person from Restowrack", farm in Cornwall ("watery hill-spur").

ROSEVEARCornish, English
From the name of a Cornish village near St Mawgan which derives from Celtic ros "moor, heath" and vur "big".

SLEEPCornish

SMALLEYEnglish, 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.

SPARGOCornish
Cornish: habitational name from Higher or Lower Spargo, in the parish of Mabe, so named from Cornish spern ‘thorn bushes’ + cor ‘enclosure'.

TREBILCOCKCornish
Means "person from Trebilcock", Cornwall (apparently "dear one's farmstead"). The final -ck is standardly silent.

TREGORYCornish (Anglicized, Rare), English (Rare)
This obscure British surname is a variant form of Tregury, which is an anglicization of the rare Cornish surname Tregurtha.... [more]

TREGURTHACornish
A 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]

TREMAINECornish
Comes from the Cornish words "tre", meaning settlement and "men", meaning stone.

TREVITHICKCornish
Means "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.

TREWINCornish
Habitational name from Trewin in Cornwall.

TREZISECornish
Means "person from Trezise or Tresayes", Cornwall ("Englishman's farmstead").

VERRANCornish
Perhaps means "person from Treverran", Cornwall (from Cornish tre "farmstead" with an unknown second element), or "person from Veryan", Cornwall ("church of St Symphorian").

WAKEHAMEnglish, Cornish
A locational surname for someone who lived in one of three places called Wakeham in various parts of England, including Cornwall and/or Devon.

	Usage
	Initial letter
	Source
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	Length
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