What does your surname mean?

[Red Baron 0]

Surname: Simon

 

Recorded in over one hundred surname spellings throughout Europe, this interesting surname is of pre- written historical origins. It ultimately derives from the Hebrew personal name Shimeon, meaning "one who harkens". The surname forms include Simon, Simco, Simcoe, Simko (English), Simeon, Siomon, Schimon (Jewish), Simeoni (Italian), Si, Sias, and Simao (German and Polish), Schimann (Czech), Ziemen (Prussian), and the national diminutives and patronymics such as Simonson, (England), Simonett (France), Simonetti (Italy), Siaspinski and Siaskowski (Polish-German) Ziemke (German), Ziemecki (Slavonic), Semeniuk (Ukraine), and many, many, others. In England the name generally takes the form of Simon, partly as a result of association with the pre-existing Greek byname from "simos", meaning snub-nosed. The first European recording of Simon as a personal name is probably that of Simonus, a monk, in the register of St. Benets, Holme Abbey, Norfolk, England, in the year 1134. The surname first appears in the latter half of the 13th Century (see below), and includes Pieter Ziemke of Hamburg, Germany, in 1289, and William Simon in the Calendar of Letter Books of the City of London in 1292. Other recordings from medieval times include Ernest Symers of Bremen, Germany, in 1262, and Tomas Symcoke of Staffordshire in 1395. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Simond. This was dated 1273, in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

[Brett Favre 0]

Surname: Mora

 

Recorded in several spellings including Mora, Morales, Mourier and Morais, this is a Spanish and Portuguese surname, of ancient Roman (Latin) origins. It derives from the word 'mora' meaning 'the blackberry', and was originally occupational for a person who farmed these fruits in ancient times. The name is also habitational and may well derive in many instances from living at one of the many places on the Iberian Peninsula called 'Mora'. Habitational surnames were given to people after they left their original homesteads and moved to a new place. The easiest form of identification for their new neighbours was to call them by the name of their former village. In this case we have example of recordings going back to the 16th century, and these include Perez de Morales, who married Elvira Garcia at Alhendin, province of Granada, Spain, on November 12th 1577. In California Jose Dios Morales married Maria de la Trinidad Cota, at San Gabriel, on February 12th 1827, and in Mexico Claudio Pedro Mora was christened at St Luis Obispal, Districto Federal, on July 1st 1865. The blazon of the coat of arms is quarterly, one and four, a green tree on a gold field, two and three, a barry of six, silver and black. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Anthoni Mora, which was dated January 21st 1551, born at Santa Maria Mantaro, Barcelona, Spain, during the reign of King Charles 1st of Spain, Emperor of Mexico, 1516 - 1556. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Surname: Leahy

 

Recorded in the spellings of O'Leahy, Leahy and Leahey in Counties Tipperary and Cork, and O'Lahy and Lahy in County Clare, this is an Irish surname of great antiquity. Generally to be found in the province of Munster, and in some numbers on the West Coast, the derivation is from the pre 12th century Gaelic word "laochda", which translates as "The heroic one". In the first instance the name was given to the chief of the clan, and it should be assumed that it was as a result of a battle, in which he distinguished himself. Sadly the event itself is lost in the mists of antiquity. It is known that to some extent the clan was dispersed in the period after 1603, when they joined the famous rebellion of that year lead by Lord O'Neill. This ended in disastrous defeat at the battle of Kinsale, and the end of Irish hopes of self government for three centuries. Despite the break up of the original clan, the several members have distinguished themselves. These include Edward Leahy (1797 - 1875) the famous portrait painter, and the Rev. Patrich Leahy, the arbishop of Cashel, responsible for the building of Thurles Cathedral. Amongst the many thousands of refugees from the "Great potato famine" of 1846-1848 was Simon Leahy, and his sister Margaret, who sailed on the ship "Venice", bound for New York, on April 30th 1846. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John O'Lahy, which was dated 1581, hanged in Dublin for refusing to renounce the faith, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st, knownby some as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603.

[Vampiro69 0]

Surname: Albrecht

 

This ancient and noble German surname, which includes the Dukes of Albrecht of Albrechtberg, is one of the oldest recorded. It is in origination a pre 7th century compound consisting of the elements 'Aedel' meaning 'noble' and 'beorht' - bright, or possibly shining. Perhaps not surprisingly given such a translation, the name has always been very popular and gave rise to such developments as Albert, Aubert, and in England, Albright. In fact the earliest recordings are British, and date back to one Albertus in the 1086 Domesday Book, which is several centuries earlier than the first recordings in its German homeland. The records on the continent are as a rule later and more scanty than in Britain, this is partly because of the never ending succession of wars throughout the surname period, but also because Germany did not become a unified state until 1864, when centralised bureaucracy began to require centralised records. Nethertheless we have been able to find some good examples of early recordings and these include Heini Albrecht of Degeloch, Stuttgart, in 1350, Christophorus Albrecht, christened at Koenigberg Stadt, Ostpreussen, on April 8th 1613, and Condula Albrecht who married Michael Bishcoff on March 3rd 1634 at Mittelfranken, Bayern. The coat of arms has the unusual blazon of a red field, charged with a bill-hook between two grappling irons, all proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Cuonz Albrecht, which was dated 1346, in the charters of Saulgau, Wirtemberg, during the reign of Emperor Louis 1V of Bavaria, 1314 - 1347. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

[Dandy 0]

Are you Brakkus' son?

[Richard 0]

That site didn't have my name listed, but according to ancestry.com, the surname Angle means:

 

1. English and Irish (of Norman origin): topographic name from Middle English and Old French angle ‘angle’, ‘corner’ (Latin angulus). As an Irish surname, it can also be habitational, from a place in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, named with this word.

2. Americanized spelling of German Angel or Engel.

 

 

[Scroby 0]

Surname: Toby

 

Recorded as Tobey, Toby, Toobey, Tooby and possible others, this is an English surname. It is derived from the male personal name Tobias, the Greek form of the Hebrew name Torya, meaning "The Lord is Good". Tobias and its derivatives were introduced into Europe by returning knights and pilgrims from the famous Crusades to the Holy Land in the 12th century. They became popular as both personal and surnames in the Middle Ages, and there was something of a revival in the 18th Century owing to the famous Punch and Judy shows, where the dog is called Toby and accompanied Tobias on his travels. Langland's medieval book "Piers Plowman" written in the year 1362 contains the line, "And kan telle of Tobye, and of twelve Apostles". Early recordings include Thomas Tooby of Somerset in 1327, whilst the first recording may be that of Simon Toby. This was dated 1271, in the Court Rolls of the Abbey of Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, during the reign of King Henry IIIrd, 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

[Dandy 0]

I thought Toby was your first name.

[Maztinho 0]

He's like the dude Kelly Kelly... Toby Toby.

[Red Baron 0]

Surname: Mora

 

Recorded in several spellings including Mora, Morales, Mourier and Morais, this is a Spanish and Portuguese surname, of ancient Roman (Latin) origins. It derives from the word 'mora' meaning 'the blackberry', and was originally occupational for a person who farmed these fruits in ancient times. The name is also habitational and may well derive in many instances from living at one of the many places on the Iberian Peninsula called 'Mora'. Habitational surnames were given to people after they left their original homesteads and moved to a new place. The easiest form of identification for their new neighbours was to call them by the name of their former village. In this case we have example of recordings going back to the 16th century, and these include Perez de Morales, who married Elvira Garcia at Alhendin, province of Granada, Spain, on November 12th 1577. In California Jose Dios Morales married Maria de la Trinidad Cota, at San Gabriel, on February 12th 1827, and in Mexico Claudio Pedro Mora was christened at St Luis Obispal, Districto Federal, on July 1st 1865. The blazon of the coat of arms is quarterly, one and four, a green tree on a gold field, two and three, a barry of six, silver and black. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Anthoni Mora, which was dated January 21st 1551, born at Santa Maria Mantaro, Barcelona, Spain, during the reign of King Charles 1st of Spain, Emperor of Mexico, 1516 - 1556. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

 

 

Surnames!? We're talking surnames here?!

[King Cucaracha 0]

Surname: Bacon

 

This most interesting surname has two possible interpretations, both of Germanic origin. It may be a metonymic occupational name for someone who prepared and sold cured pork, a pork butcher, from the Old French, Middle English "bacun, bacon", bacon, ham (of Germanic origin). The name, according to another source may derive from the Germanic personal name "Bac©o", "Bahho", from the root "bag", to fight, which was common among the Normans in the form "Bacus", "Bacon". Hence, the name was probably introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066. "Documents illustrative of the Social and Economic History of the Danelaw", records one Richard Bacun in Lincolnshire in 1150, while Nicholas Bachun was mentioned in Staffordshire in 1226, in the "Abstracts of the Contents of the Burton Chartulary". Interesting namebearers, recorded in the "Dictionary of National Biography", include Lady Ann Bacon (1528 - 1610), who was governess to Edward V1 and mother of Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626), first Baron Verulam, the English philosopher, statesman and essayist, who described the inductive method of reasoning. The Coat of Arms most associated with the name Bacon is a red shield, on a silver chief, three black mullets (knight spurs) pierced. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Bacun, which was dated circa 1150, in the "Chartulary of Staffordshire", during the reign of King Stephen, known as "The Count of Blois", 1135 - 1154. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

 

 

Hmm... I'll take the second interpretation, I think.

[treble 0]

Surname: Moysey

 

Recorded in many spellings as shown below, this is an English surname of ultimately in a sense Egyptian origin. First introduced into Europe during the famous Crusades to free the Holy Land in the 12th century, it derives from the biblical name Moses, which perhaps surprisingly is properly the Egyptian name Moshe. It was as Moshe that the Israelite leader in the Book of Exodus, led the tribe out of Egypt, and across the Red Sea to Palestine. Very early in history the name acquired a folk etymology, being taken as a derivative of the Hebrew root "msh", meaning to draw (something) from the water, and a reference to the infant Moshe being discovered among the bull rushes by Pharaoh's daughter. In the modern idiom the surname is spelt as Moyes, Moyses, Moyes, Moise, Moys, Moss and the diminutives Moisey and Moysey. Early examples of recordings include Gaufridus filius Moyses in the Curia Regis rolls of Norfolk in the year 1210, whilst Moys de Bilham was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230, and William Moyse in the Hundred Rolls of landowners of Essex in 1274. One Susanna Moysey was recorded in the registers of St. Michael's in the Barbados. She was buried there on September 1st 1678. A coat of arms associated with the name has the blazon of an ermine shield charged with a red cross calvary between three gold grices. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elyas Moyses. This was dated 1198, in the "Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire", during the reign of King William 11, known as "Rufus", 1187 - 1100. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.