by Sharon Hall | Oct 18, 2014 | Surname Saturday
There at least two schools of thought regarding the origins of today’s surname. Ultimately, it appears to me that its origins were most likely Germanic, although the first settlers who came to America in the 1630’s came directly from England. Two sources...
by Sharon Hall | Oct 10, 2014 | Surname Saturday
The Purchase surname originated as an occupational name, although it’s uncertain when the name began to be used as a surname and passed down to succeeding generations. According to New Dictionary of American Family Names, the name referred to “one who acted as a...
by Sharon Hall | Oct 3, 2014 | Surname Saturday
For the first two generations after arriving in America, this German family from the Palatinate region, spelled their surname “Quattelbaum” but eventually settled on a slightly different spelling as “Quattlebaum”. The second part of the name, “baum”, means “tree” in...
by Sharon Hall | Sep 26, 2014 | Surname Saturday
Most sources agree that today’s surname is of occupational origins, perhaps referring to someone who was a mender of pots and pans (“tinner”). The earliest individuals bearing a particular surname, especially an occupational one, were usually employed in that...
by Sharon Hall | Sep 20, 2014 | Surname Saturday
Bowditch This unique surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, believed to have derived from an estate in Dorsetshire (pre-Norman Conquest of 1066) and seen as well in the southern counties of Somerset and Devonshire. The place name in Devon was derived from an Olde English...
by Sharon Hall | Sep 13, 2014 | Surname Saturday
The Trowbridge surname was seen as early 1184 in Wiltshire County, England as “Trobigge”, probably derived from the Old English word which translated means someone dwelling near a wooden bridge. Later recorded instances of the name include: Troubrug (1212); William de...
