Dododo's Personal Name List

Blackford
Usage: English
Rating: 70% based on 5 votes
Derived from the words blæc "black" or blac "pale, shining, white" and ford "river crossing"
Blackman
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAK-mən
Rating: 66% based on 5 votes
From a nickname, a variant of Black.
Blackmore
Usage: English
Pronounced: b l AE k m aw r
Rating: 68% based on 6 votes
BLACKMORE, an English name, has two possible beginnings:

The FIRST: It is an obvious use of a descriptive term that crystallized from a nickname into an acceptable family name. Many such names as BLACKMORE, BLACK, BLAKEMAN, BLACMAN, AND BLACKMAN, testify to the darker tone of some of our forbearers countenances. The term has nothing to do with race or nationalistic characteristics, but possibly began as a nickname for a particular individual as "BLACK a' Moor" or black as a Moor. Stephen le Blac (to distinguish him from Stephen le Blane) is now Blake: the name "Nutbrown" was an early name, existing at least until 1630. Our Browns began in the same way.

The SECOND: Many names had their beginning because a person lived in a location easy to describe and thus distinguished the person from another of the same name living elsewhere. For example, Steven atte BLACKMOOR resided close to the murky and gloomy heath or moor.

Blake
Usage: English
Pronounced: BLAYK
Rating: 60% based on 5 votes
Variant of Black. A famous bearer was the poet and artist William Blake (1757-1827).
Cleveland
Usage: English
Pronounced: KLEEV-lənd
Rating: 44% based on 5 votes
English regional name from the district around Middlesbrough named Cleveland ‘the land of the cliffs’, from the genitive plural (clifa) of Old English clif ‘bank’, ‘slope’ + land ‘land’. See also Cleaveland.

This was the surname of American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908). It is also the name of an American city, which was founded by surveyor Moses Cleaveland (1754-1806).

Craw
Usage: English, Scottish, Northern Irish
Rating: 52% based on 5 votes
One who had characteristics of a crow; sometimes used as an element of a place name e.g. Crawford, and Crawfordjohn in Lanarkshire, Crawshawbooth in Lancashire, and Crawley in Sussex
Crawford
Usage: English
Pronounced: KRAW-fərd
Rating: 74% based on 5 votes
From a place name derived from Old English crawa "crow" and ford "river crossing". A notable bearer was the American actress Joan Crawford (1904-1977), born Lucille Fay LeSueur.
Drummond
Usage: Scottish
Pronounced: DRUM-ənd
Rating: 50% based on 5 votes
From various Scottish place names that are derived from Gaelic drumainn, a derivative of druim meaning "ridge".
Duff
Usage: Scottish, Irish
Pronounced: DUF(English)
Rating: 35% based on 6 votes
Anglicized form of Mac Dhuibh or Ó Duibh.
Johnny
Usage: English
Pronounced: JAHN-ee(American English) JAWN-ee(British English)
Rating: 40% based on 6 votes
From the given name Johnny, which is diminutive of given name John.
Underhill
Usage: English
Rating: 62% based on 6 votes
Means "dweller at the foot of a hill", from Old English under and hyll.
Underwood
Usage: English
Rating: 63% based on 7 votes
Means "dweller at the edge of the woods", from Old English under and wudu.
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