These
names were used by medieval English peoples.
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
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...
[more] 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....
[more] 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...
[more] 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...
[more] 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"....
[more] 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....
[more] GOODY Medieval EnglishFrom Middle English
god dai ‘good day’, possibly applied as a nickname for someone who frequently used this greeting....
[more] 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...
[more] 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)'...
[more] 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...
[more] ORRELS Medieval EnglishMeans "Ore hill", likely for iron ore miners. From the Old English
ora, meaning "ore" and
hyll, meaning hill....
[more] 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.
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...
[more] 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...
[more] 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"...
[more] 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:...
[more] 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....
[more] 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.
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).