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ArchivesRe: My ancestral surname
in reply to a message by Anne James
I'm not sure that these are surnames of English origin, but I'll submit the following for your consideration anyway.
Reaney and Wilson's "Dictionary of British Surnames" lists Herniman along with Hernaman et al., explaining it as a man who lives at a HYRNE, Old English for a nook or corner of land, or land in a bend; I assume they mean a river bend.
Sme source has names, Moule, Moules, explained as Old Norse MOLI, a nickname for a small man, literal meaning "crumb, small particle". They also list Mowll, Mowle and Mowles as meaning "mule". The exact significance of that name is not explained and is not clear to me.
Reaney and Wilson's "Dictionary of British Surnames" lists Herniman along with Hernaman et al., explaining it as a man who lives at a HYRNE, Old English for a nook or corner of land, or land in a bend; I assume they mean a river bend.
Sme source has names, Moule, Moules, explained as Old Norse MOLI, a nickname for a small man, literal meaning "crumb, small particle". They also list Mowll, Mowle and Mowles as meaning "mule". The exact significance of that name is not explained and is not clear to me.
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