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ArchivesRe: LOOKING FOR MEANINGS IN MY FAMILY NAMES
in reply to a message by NANCY SOWARDS RADTKE
Van Over - don't know for sure, possibly from the same source as the English surname Over which means "dweller on the bank of a river" from the Old English 'ofer'. Van means "of".
Sowards - possibly means "sow herd". Can't find it at the moment, I will look it up properly tomorrow.
Justice - Means "justice" sometimes applied as an occupational surname to a judge. From the Old French, Middle English 'justice'.
Ray -Click here - http://surnames.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=Ray&type=n&operator=or
Plymale - no clue off hand.
Peters - "son of Peter"
Blackburn - "from Blackburn, England".
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Sowards - possibly means "sow herd". Can't find it at the moment, I will look it up properly tomorrow.
Justice - Means "justice" sometimes applied as an occupational surname to a judge. From the Old French, Middle English 'justice'.
Ray -Click here - http://surnames.behindthename.com/php/search.php?terms=Ray&type=n&operator=or
Plymale - no clue off hand.
Peters - "son of Peter"
Blackburn - "from Blackburn, England".
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Replies
The Plymales of the US claim that their ancestor(s) migrated from Brittany, in France. However I think the name may be French rather than Breton. There is a French surname, Plumail,which might be the original. The letter U in French is thin and might become an I or a Y when pronounced by English speakers. The surname derives from the word plume, and Jean Tosti speculates that it might be a nickname for someone who wore a feather in his hat.
Plumail is found most frequently in the Mayenne region of France, which is next door to Brittany.
Plumail is found most frequently in the Mayenne region of France, which is next door to Brittany.
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