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Re: LOOKING FOR MEANINGS IN MY FAMILY NAMES
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=orPlymale - no clue off hand.Peters - "son of Peter"Blackburn - "from Blackburn, England".---------------------------------------
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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.
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