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Help[Surname] Background ..Origins
im looking for some info on my wifes and my surnames. can anyone out there help?Camacho i was always told supposedly Spanish in origin but now im told it is actually Portugese? my wifes last name Hildreth is supposedly English but people that ive talked to say they have never heard of it in the British isles ithink maybe German or possibly Welsh can anyone shed any light on these names?
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HILDRETH
HILDRETH looks British to me rather than German. Spontaneously I would have suspected the two Germanic elements "hild" (battle) and "red" (council). But I found this:
http://www.ancestry.com/search/SurnamePage.aspx?sourcecode=13304&html=b&fn=hildreth&ln=hildreth&submit.x=42&submit.y=17
HILDRETH looks British to me rather than German. Spontaneously I would have suspected the two Germanic elements "hild" (battle) and "red" (council). But I found this:
http://www.ancestry.com/search/SurnamePage.aspx?sourcecode=13304&html=b&fn=hildreth&ln=hildreth&submit.x=42&submit.y=17
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I'm sure Hildreth is English and I'm sure I've heard of it before. However I've checked my usual sources and none mention it. All I've found is a notice of a mediaeval gent called Hildred of Carlisle. I think this supports Andy's suggestion that it's an old Germanic personal name.
Camacho is found in Spain and Portugal. It may have develped independently in both countries, though it's more likely to have a single origin in one country and spread to the other. Jean Tosti suggests "bandy-legged" as the meaning, but that's a guess based on the Celtic word cam, meaning "bent".
Camacho is found in Spain and Portugal. It may have develped independently in both countries, though it's more likely to have a single origin in one country and spread to the other. Jean Tosti suggests "bandy-legged" as the meaning, but that's a guess based on the Celtic word cam, meaning "bent".
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