There are a lot of strange English surnames that are not commonly heard, but are elegant. Some of them are: Fernsby, McQuaid, Relish, Sallow, Berrycloth, Ajax, Spinster, Anthonyson, Brownbear among many others.
Most of these rare or uncommon surnames are also associated with a less curious meaning. Even today, there are surnames whose origin or what they symbolize is unknown.
Robinson Crusoe, the popular character in Daniel Defoe's English novel, bore one of the strangest English surnames.
If the meaning and origin of surnames catches your attention, I invite you to continue reading. You can also know the 50 most common Romanian surnames and their origin.
List of 51 weird English surnames
Sallow: it is a surname that is related to a family that lived near a willow tree during the Middle Ages. An early bearer of this surname was Nicholas of Sallow, mentioned in the “Shropshire Rotuli Hundredorum” of 1254.
Fernsby: This surname means "dwelling near the ferns." According to various censuses, there are only 21 people who bear this surname.
Villin - A surname that originated in the Norfolk region, England. He was referring to a commoner called "the villain." According to the English electoral register, there are only 2 people left with this last name.
Miracle: surname that originated in the south of France. In England this surname was first carried in Anglesey, Wales. It is of Celtic origin, derived from the personal name Meuric, which is the Welsh form of Maurice. The surname Miracle is ultimately derived from the Latin name Mauricio, which means dark.
Dankworth: The meaning of this surname is thought to be "the farm belonging to Tancredo." Currently only 591 people are believed to carry this surname and only 2 people carry this surname in England.
Relish: it is a surname that appears in the census since 1892 but has been registered since the 14th century. It was recorded in the Cheshire region in the early 20th century. At present, there is no record of people with this surname in England.
MacQuoid (Scottish): There are only two examples of the MacQuoid surname in British electoral records. It seems likely that the name is related to MacQuaid.
Loughty: Loughty is considered as a variation of Lochty, named after two villages in Tayside (one a couple of miles west of Perth, the other 6 miles west of Brechin). It means "little lake". This surname is believed to be already extinct in England.
Birdwhistle: means "bifurcation of the river where the birds nest." It also refers to two medieval villages that no longer exist.
Berrycloth: means "grove". It is a surname that originated in Halifax in West Yorkshire.
Culpepper: The Grocery Company emerged, incorporated in 1345. It means "the false pepper merchant."
Tumbler - The tumbler was an acrobat and sometimes an acrobatic dancer, often recruited into the court of a nobleman to provide entertainment. There are a small number of Tumblers located in the Strathclyde area, Scotland.
Ajax - This very strange surname seems to have come to Wales in the late 17th century. It seems that he came to England with the refugees from France after the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685.
Edevane - This is a very rare surname that apparently originated in Wales. It means "protector of prosperity."
Gastrell - The original meaning of the surname Gastrell is uncertain. It seems to have a moderate Norman suffix '-el' (meaning affection). There are currently only 44 people listed in the English electoral registers.
Slora: Slora seems to have several variations, including Slorra, Slorah, Slorach, and Slorrance. There are currently 41 Slora records, 5 Slorah records and more than 200 Slorach records listed on current electoral rolls. It may have originated from the word "sluagdach" which means "leader" in Gaelic.
Bread: it is related to the baker occupation. The Bread family in England is believed to have disappeared.
MacCaa: MacCaa has many clan associations. Most prominent are the Bute Stuarts, the MacKay Clan, the MacFarlane Clan, the MacDonald Clan, and the Galloway Clan.
The name is a phonetic variation of MacKay, which means "son of Aoh (that is, the champion)." Other similar names in the group are MacCaw, MacCay, MacGaw, MacGee, and MacKee
Spinster: its origin is based on the word spinnan which means, yarn thread. It was applied freely in medieval times to single women, spinners, without their own family.
Pussett: it is a surname that disappeared in the 20th century. It is based on an affectionate nickname used in the Middle Ages.
Bythesea and Bytheseashore: The first bearer of this surname was William Bythesee in Somerset in the year 1336. The bearers of these descriptive names would have remembered someone whose abode was near a lake or stream.
Halfenaked: this surname has disappeared due to its meaning "semi-naked"
Rymer: is a surname associated with being a poet and rhyming.
Cock: means rooster, or it is also associated with a proud person.
Daft: is a surname from medieval times that means, soft, meek.
Death or De'Ath: a surname that means death. Due to this fact, it has almost completely disappeared.
Smellie: its meaning is associated with someone who smells bad.
Glass: It is a diminutive of Vasilis and means "King" in Greek.
Anthonyson: means "Son of Anthony". Associated with the Greek word ανθος (anthos) which means "flower".
Acy: variant of the surname "Ace" which means "As". It is more common as a male name than a last name.
Adolphson: means "son of Adolfo". It is a surname that disappeared after the Second World War in England.
Amilia: probably means "children of Emilio". Emilio means "rival" in Latin.
Amery - The Normans introduced this surname to England, and although it was never popular, it survived until the end of the Middle Ages. It is believed to mean "universal power" in Old Norwegian.
Barbrow: "son of Barbara." It is a surname found in Sweden and very rarely in Great Britain.
Beaufoy: is a surname that comes from the name Buffy, which is short for Elizabeth. It is believed to mean "son of Elizabeth."
Brazil: it is a very rare surname in England, associated with the country Brazil. Perhaps it refers to a family from the South American country.
Brownbear: surname of Viking origin that means "brown bear".
Brumby: surname that originates from Barnaby or Barrabas. It may be that it originates from בּר נביא (bar naviya ') which means "son of the prophet." As a name it arrived in England in the 12th century and has been altered over time and also adopting as a surname.
Callen: Irish and English surname. Variant of the surname "Callan". Derived from the Gaelic element cath which means "battle".
Cass: it is a name and a surname at the same time. It comes from an Irish surname derived from Ó Caiside which means "descendant of Caiside".
Chadburn: means "wild or untamed stream".
Champion: It is a surname found in France and very rarely in England. It means "champion."
Choules: the surname Choules is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a variant of Scholes, It was a topographical name for someone who lived in a rough hut or shed. It can also be a surname to refer to a family that lived in Scholes in Yorkshire.
Creepingbear: It is a rare surname in England and the United States. Means "crawling bear"
Crusoe: According to Reaney and Wilson, this name was brought to England by John Crusoe, a refugee from Hownescourt in Flanders, who settled in Norwich.
Cullimore: There is a place called Colleymore Farm in Oxfordshire, but it is unclear if this is the source of the last name.
Dagger: means "dagger". It is a Cambridgeshire surname from the 13th century. Currently, very few people carry this surname.
Decksheimer: originates from the last name Dexheimer, and refers to someone from the German village of Dexheim.
Denson: a rare English surname meaning "Son of Dennis or Dean."
Evenson: uncommon surname in England of Norwegian origin. It means son of Eyvind.
References
- House of names Editor. (2000-2017). Miracle surname. 3-29-2017, retrieved from houseofnames.com.
- (2012-2016). Loughty Surname Meaning & Statistics. 3-29-2017, retrieved from forebears.io.
- (2011). Not Smith and Jones - Rare British Surnames On The Cusp Of Extinction. 3-29-2017, retrieved from myheritage.com.
- Guy´s sports editors. (2016). Really Funny Surnames. 3-29-2017, from guy-sports.com
- Telegraph reporters. (2013). New book explores strange surnames like Halfenaked. 3-29-2017, retrieved from telegraph.co.uk.
- Ancestry Editors. (1997-2017). 10 Rare English Surnames About to Go Extinct. 3-29-2017, retrieved from ancestry.com.
- (2012-2016). Fernsby Surname Meaning & Statistics. 3-29-2017, retrieved from forebears.io.
- Find my past editors. (2017). Relish surname. 3-29-2017, from findmypast.co.uk.