by Sharon Hall | Jul 19, 2014 | Surname Saturday
Boaz There are several theories about the origins and meaning of the Boaz surname. First of all, Boaz appears in scripture as a forename, the kinsman redeemer for Ruth, who later became her husband. Thus it is possible that Christians in England took Boaz as a...
by Sharon Hall | Jul 12, 2014 | Surname Saturday
Today’s surname is another that is somewhat unique and thought to be a variant of the more common Gifford surname. It is believed to be an old French name introduced after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and found especially in the northern counties of Yorkshire and...
by Sharon Hall | Jul 5, 2014 | Surname Saturday
Even though these surnames share the same Scottish origin, the family crests are distinct and different. “Hutchins”, “Hutchings” and “Hutchinson” are variations of a name first used by Viking settlers in ancient Scotland, all derived from a diminutive form of Hugh,...
by Sharon Hall | Jun 28, 2014 | Surname Saturday
Chisolm The Chisholm surname is Scottish and first recorded in thirteenth-century Roxburghshire, Roxburgh, the county that borders the English counties of Cumberland and Northumberland: John de Chesehelme (1254) John de Chesolm (1296) It is a border name arising from...
by Sharon Hall | Jun 21, 2014 | Surname Saturday
There are two theories as to the origins of the Waldo surname. One source believes the surname is Low German, the name having first been seen there in the thirteenth century along the Franconian-Bavarian border. It is believed that the name is one of the oldest in...
by Sharon Hall | Jun 14, 2014 | Surname Saturday
Like many surnames of Early or Middle English origin, the spelling of the Keep surname evolved over time. These names were recorded, beginning in the fourteenth century: Walter Kep (1230) John Kepe (1290) William atte Kep (1290) Thomas ate Kepe (1327) Robert de Keepe...