These
names were used in medieval times.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ACE English, Norman, Medieval FrenchThe surname Ace's origin is from a Norman and Old French personal name, Ace, Asse, from Germanic Frankish origin Azzo, Atso, a pet form of personal names containing adal ‘noble’ as a first element.
AGINCOURT Medieval EnglishSurname Agincourt was first found in Lincolnshire where "Walter de Aincourt, who came from Aincourt, a lordship between Mantes and Magny
Normandy, where the remains of the ancient family castle still exists... [
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ALEGHIERI Medieval Italian (Tuscan, Rare, Archaic)It has a hard to trace meaning, but the research shows that the meaning might be "clurgyman's family" or "son of professers." People know this last name for the poet Dante Aligheri who wrote the Dievine Comedy.
BARNEWALL Anglo-Norman, IrishA locational surname given to those who lived by a stream in either Cambridgeshire, which derives its name from the Olde English
beorna meaning "warrior" and
wella meaning "stream", or from one in Northamptonshire, which got its name from the Olde English
byrge meaning "burial mound" and
well, which also means "stream." a burial mound and 'well(a)'... [
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BERRYANN Medieval English (Rare)The name is pre 7th century Olde English and later Olde French. It derives from the word
burri or
berri, translating as a fortress or castle and means 'one who dwelt at the castle'. The suffix 'man' also indicates that it was job descriptive for a guard or keeper of the castle... [
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BLAKEWOOD Medieval EnglishDerived from the Old English words blaec, which means black, and wudu, which means wood, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a dark, wooded area.
BLISS Medieval English, Medieval English (Anglicized)Originally a nickname for a cheerful person, derived from the Old English
blisse, meaning "gladness" or "joy." Another origin of the surname is habitional, coming from from the village of Blay in Calvados (modern-day Normandy), spelled as Bleis in 1077, or from the village of Stoke Bliss in Worcestershire, first known as Stoke de Blez, named after the Norman family de Blez.... [
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BOLAS Medieval EnglishEnglish: habitational name from Great Bolas in Shropshire, named in Old English with an unidentified first element (possibly an unattested word bogel meaning ‘bend in a river’) + wæsse ‘land beside a river liable to flood’.
BOWE Medieval English, English, Irish (Anglicized)There are three possible sources of this surname, the first being that it is a metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of bows, a vital trade in medieval times before the invention of gunpowder, and a derivative of the Old English pre 7th Century 'boga', bow, from 'bugan' to bend... [
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BURE Old Swedish, SwedishThis was the name of an influential family in 16th century Sweden. The name originated from the village
Bure (now known as
Bureå) in Skellefteå parish in Northern Sweden. The village got its name from the nearby Bure River (Swedish: Bure älv, Bureälven) whose name was derived from the Swedish dialectal word
burra "buzz, rumble".
BURNELL Anglo-Saxon, Medieval EnglishA name for a person with a brown complexion or dark brown hair. From the Old English
burnel via the French
brunel a diminutive of the French
brun, which means "brown". The suffix
el-- a short form of "little" was added to brun to make
Brunel... [
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CHERRO Medieval Spanish (Latinized)Meaning villager or farmer of Salamanca, especially of the region which includes Alba, Vitigudino, Ciudad Rodrigo And Ledesma. Concerning the villager from Salamanca called Charro and its equivalent demonym or gentilic is salmantino, salmanticense, salamanqués, salamanquino.
COIT Medieval Welsh, French, EnglishThe surname Coit was first found in Carnarvonshire, a former country in Northwest Wales, anciently part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and currently is divided between the unitary authorities of Gwynedd and Conwy, where they held a family seat... [
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DE DRUMON Medieval ScottishThis name appears carved on the tomb of "Jonnes de Drumon". This is said to be the earliest known written example of the Scottish surname Drummond. We believe that de Drumon could have been costal French or Belgium... [
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DE METZ Medieval Jewish, Medieval FrenchA medieval Ashkenazic French habitational name originally meaning "of Metz", from the city of Metz (now known as Mettis) in Lorraine, which was originally known as Mediomatrica, after the Gaulish tribe of the Mediomatrici... [
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DE ROMA Medieval Spanish (Rare)A Spanish locational surname meaning “Of Rome”, perhaps for a Spaniard who lived in Rome or an Italian expat who immigrated to Spain
DINGFELDER Medieval German (Rare, Archaic)When surnames were finally adopted, family heads who originated from Thungfeld in the Steigerwald area of Mittelfranken, took the name of their traditional home area.
DUGMORE Medieval EnglishThis habitational name is chiefly found in the West Midlands region of England. The origin is certainly Old English pre 7th Century and may be Ancient British i.e. pre Roman 55 A.D. The origins are lost but are believed to develop from "Dubh" meaning "black" and "mor" a morass or swamp... [
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ELFORD Medieval EnglishFrom the Old English personal name Ella, from the word
oelf meaning "elf" or from the Old English
alor/
elre, meaning "alder tree." The name in full would mean "alder tree by a ford" or "Ella who lives by a ford".... [
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ELL MedievalThis name derives from the Medieval given name Elis first recorded in the 1220 Pipe Rolls of Middlesex "Elis de Adham". The ultimate origin of the name is the Hebrew, Elisha or Elijah (meaning "Jehovah is God")... [
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EZZO Medieval ItalianEZZO: " Derived from a Germanic name Azzo, based on the element z , which originates debated; between the various hypotheses are: ... [
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FFROST Medieval WelshDevired from the old Welsh word "Ymffrostgar", meaning a brag or boastful person. Originally spelt as "Ffrost", later changed to "Frost".
FISH Medieval English, JewishFrom Middle English
fische, fish ‘fish’, a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fish seller, or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a fish.... [
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FITZEMPRESS History, Anglo-NormanMeans "son of the empress" in Anglo-Norman French. The three sons of Empress Matilda were known as Henry FitzEmpress (King Henry II of England), Geoffrey FitzEmpress, Count of Nantes, and William FitzEmpress, Count of Poitou.
FUSS Medieval Low GermanGerman from Middle High German
fus ‘foot’, hence most probably a nickname for someone with some peculiarity or deformity of the foot, but perhaps also a topographic name for someone who lived at the foot of a hill.
GOODY Medieval EnglishFrom Middle English
god dai ‘good day’, possibly applied as a nickname for someone who frequently used this greeting.... [
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HARMS Medieval Low GermanOf ancient German origin, Harms is derived from a Germanic personal name made up of the elements "heri," meaning "army," and "man," meaning "man." Surname Harms was first found in Prussia, in medieval times as one of the notable families of the region.
JOURDEMAYNE Medieval EnglishLikely from Old French
jor de main meaning "day labourer". This was borne by Margery Jourdemayne, an English woman known as the "Witch of Eye" who was burned at the stake in 1441 for conspiring to kill the king with witchcraft... [
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KIEHL Medieval Low GermanFrom Middle Low German
kil ‘wedge’, applied as a metonymic occupational name or as a pejorative nickname for a ruffian. Possibly a habitational name from Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein, from Dutch and Frisian
kil ‘stagnant water’ (see
KIEL)... [
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KOMISIN CumanOriginally Comyshyn .. The prefix denotes its Cuman ancestry, and the afix -shyn means Ukraine. Hence, Cuman of Ukraine.
LADULÅS Old SwedishMost likely from Swedish
ladulås "barnlock", but it could also be derived from the Slavic name
LADISLAUS. Magnus Ladulås, sometimes known as Magnus Birgersson or Magnus III in English, was the king of Sweden between 1275 and 1290.
LEUSINK Medieval DutchDescendants from farmers from the Overijssel Province in the Netherlands. History can be traced to the middle ages, perhaps to a farm called Lossyng in the village of Neede.
L'HERNAULT Medieval FrenchOriginating in Northern France, Rouen River Valley, Normandie, L'Hernault is an Old French word for a "heralder", one who would act as an announcer, diplomat or town crier.... [
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LIMB Medieval EnglishRare name of medieval English origin. A dialectal variant of the locational name 'Lumb', from places so called in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, and derives from the Old English pre-7th Century 'lum(m)'... [
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MALLET Anglo-Norman, Medieval English, French, CatalanOriginated in Norman France and spread to England following the Norman conquest of 1066. The surname comes from the given name
Malle, an Old English diminutive of
MARY or from the given name
Malo, a popular form of the name of Saint
Maclovius, a 6th-century Welsh monk who the church of Saint Maclou in Rouen is named for.... [
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MANSELL Anglo-Norman, FrenchA status name for a particular type of feudal tenant, Anglo-Norman French
mansel, one who occupied a manse (Late Latin
mansa ‘dwelling’), a measure of land sufficient to support one family... [
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NATT OCH DAG Old Swedish, Swedish (Rare)Means "night and day" in Swedish. This is the name of one of the oldest noble families in Sweden. The earliest known ancestor is Nils Sigridsson who lived in the 13th century. The name Natt and Dag was not mentioned until the 16th century, though, and the family members themselves didn't start using it until the 18th century... [
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NOE Medieval English, KoreanA patronymic form of the biblical male given name Noah from the Hebrew word "noach" meaning long-lived. Possible origins could be ... [
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OBUCH Medieval Polish (Rare)Obuch is a surname found in Poland and specifically areas that were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Kingdom. It was the name of a long handled battle hammer and may have denoted someone handy with the weapon or who produced the weapon... [
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ODDY Medieval EnglishWas first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as the lords of the manor of Storkhouse, Gisbern and Withernsea in that shire. Believed to be descended from Count Odo.
ODSON Medieval FrenchMeans 'son of Odo', Odo meaning 'possessor of wealth' many French Dukes and Counts had the name Odo. ' From the nickname 'Oddy' or 'Hoddy'.
ORANGE Medieval English, Medieval French, EnglishDerived from the medieval female name, or directly from the French place name. First used with the modern spelling in the 17th century, apparently due to William, Prince of Orange, who later became William III... [
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ORRELS Medieval EnglishMeans "Ore hill", likely for iron ore miners. From the Old English
ora, meaning "ore" and
hyll, meaning hill.... [
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PAINTER English, Medieval French, GermanEnglish: from Middle English, Old French
peinto(u)r, oblique case of
peintre ‘painter’, hence an occupational name for a painter (normally of colored glass). In the Middle Ages the walls of both great and minor churches were covered with painted decorations, and Reaney and Wilson note that in 1308 Hugh
le Peyntour and Peter the Pavier were employed ‘making and painting the pavement’ at St... [
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PASSELEWE Medieval EnglishThe medieval name is from Old French
passe(r) ‘to pass or cross’ +
l’ewe ‘the water’, hence a nickname, probably for a ferryman or a merchant who was in the habit of traveling overseas, or else someone who had been on a pilgrimage or crusade.
PEREIRU Medieval Portuguese (Latinized, Rare, Archaic)This is a Military Order (Knights Templar or the Order of Solomon's Temple) and it was founded by the Henrique de Borgonha, conde de Portucale (Henry, Count of Portugal) in the year 1090. It was then confirmed by Pope Alexandre III in the year 1177... [
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PINSKER German, PrussianHabitational name from any of several places named near Posen (Polish Poznan) and in West Prussia.
PLANTAGENET Medieval English, Medieval FrenchBorne by the House of Plantagenet, a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. It also originated as a nickname for Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou (1113-1151), father of King Henry II of England (1133-1189), who ascended the English throne in 1154... [
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PROWZE Anglo-NormanAn Anglo-Norman occupational surname used for soldiers or a nickname for someone bold that is derived from the pre-10th-century Old French
proz or
prouz, meaning "proud" or "brave". It could also be a variant of the surname
PRUE... [
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PRUDHOMME French, English, Norman, Medieval FrenchFrench (Prud’homme) and English (of Norman origin): nickname from Old French prud’homme ‘wise’, ‘sensible man’, a cliché term of approbation from the chivalric romances. It is a compound of Old French proz, prod ‘good’, with the vowel influenced by crossing with prudent ‘wise’ + homme ‘man’... [
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RENGEL Medieval CroatianUsed by several houses of Croatia few centuries ago, now, those of this name are but a shadows of once proud and prestigious house
SANTIS Medieval Italian (Latinized, Archaic)It means holliness, hallowed, saintly, sainted, sanctity. It is a surname that corresponds with Italian Celts families (Italo-Celtic family groups), more precisely in Piemonte or Piedmont (north of Italy).
SCOGINGS English, Old DanishA surname of Scandinavian origin from the old Norse and old Danish by-name "Skeggi" or "skoggi", meaning 'the bearded one'. Common in areas invaded and settled by Scandinavians in the 8th and 9th Centuries.
SCUDAMORE Anglo-NormanA locational surname that was first recorded in England in 1264. Derived from one of the ancient villages of Fifield Scudamore or Upton Scudamore, with
SCUDAMORE coming from the Old English
scitemor, which means "one who lived at the moor."
SEELY Medieval EnglishMeans "Blessed", "Happy", and/or "Lucky." By adding an Un- to Seely makes it "Unblessed", "Unhappy", and/or "Unholy." Used primarily in Northern England and Southern Scotland during the Middle English period but is derived from the Old English sǣl and gesǣlig... [
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SENDULLA Medieval Frenchthe name was originally from a town in the champagne valley that does not exist any more because of World War I the town's name is forgotten and all we have about it is the name sendulla a young girl whom live there as a child
SHACKLEFORD English, Medieval EnglishLocational surname deriving from the place called Shackleford in Surrey, near the town of Farnham. The origin of "shackle" is uncertain. It could be derived from Old English
sceacan "to shake"... [
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STURE Old Swedish, Swedish (Rare)Derived from Old Norse
stura "to be contrary". This was the surname of two important families in the 15th and 16th century Sweden. Members of these families served as regents of Sweden during this time... [
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SULIVAR Medieval RussianSulivar was a name used in Southern Russia near Kazakhstan and was even a name a leader had when the mongol empire fell.
THRESTON Medieval English (Rare)The surname of Threston is English in origin, and, means "to twist"** and, can be traced as far back as the 11th century where the name is found in the "Domesday Book." The name Threston is a variation of the name of the town of Threxton, Norfolk, UK, and, there are several variations of the name Threxton including:... [
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TRIMBOLI Medieval ItalianTrimboli: Means: "prince of three valleys." Land or (spoils) were given to worthy soldiers for there efforts after conquest. Three valleys in Calabria were given to a soldier who will become known as Francesco Guytano Trimboli, the new perprieitor in an area near Plati, Italy, Calabria.
TROLLE Swedish, Old SwedishSwedish noble family. According to legend, an early ancestor killed a troll and that's how the family got its name. The family's coat of arms depicts a headless troll. The earliest known ancestor is Birger Knutsson Trulle (died approx... [
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TURNBO Prussian (Modern, Rare), German (East Prussian, Modern, Rare), American (Americanized, Modern, Rare), German (Modern, Rare)Originally the name was spelled Dornbach, meaning "thorny creek". Derived from Old High German Dorn, Turn, or Torn "thorn" and Bach meaning creek. German ancestors of this family eventually came to Pennsylvania in 1725, the name slowly started to change to Turnbach around the 1850's, reasoning unknown, and later Turnbo... [
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VASA Old Swedish, Swedish (Archaic)Swedish noble and former royal family. Possibly from
vase meaning "bundle" or "withy". The name is believed to be a reference to the family's coat of arms. The most notable member of the family was Gustav Eriksson Vasa (1496-1560), later known as Gustav I of Sweden (in modern times known exclusively as Gustav Vasa)... [
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VERYARD Medieval Spanish (Rare)Rumour has it that the surname De-Veryard represented a Spanish occupation, but unclear what that might be - have never been able to establish the origin.
WILD Medieval English, English, German, JewishEnglish: from Middle English
wild ‘wild’, ‘uncontrolled’ (Old English
wilde), hence a nickname for a man of violent and undisciplined character, or a topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of overgrown uncultivated land.... [
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WYLIE Medieval EnglishIt is of locational origin, and derives from the places called Willey in the counties of Cheshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, Devonshire and Surrey.
YMFFROSTGAR Medieval WelshA historic Welsh surname, meaning a brag or boastful person, later shortened to Ffrost and again to Frost.
YOHE Medieval EnglishThe Yohe surname comes from the Old English word "ea," or "yo," in Somerset and Devon dialects, which meant "river" or "stream." It was likely originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a stream.
YULE Medieval EnglishNickname for someone who was born on Christmas Day or had some other connection with this time of year, from Middle English
yule ‘Christmastide’ (Old English
geol, reinforced by the cognate Old Norse term
jól).
ZUFALL Medieval GermanA German name from the Middle High German "zuoval," meaning "benefit," "coincidence" or "windfall." It was a nickname for a lucky person, most likely a person to whom a plot of land had been given. It could also be an occupational name for a tax collector.