Found this site the other day and thought it would be of interest to anyone wishing to know where their names originated from
www.surnamedb.com
Surname Origins
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SarahND
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Pandabean
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- Location: Aberdeenshire - Originally Falkirk
Hmmm seems rather interesting. Managed to find Greenlees and Fairnie/Fernie
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]
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Pandabean
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- Location: Aberdeenshire - Originally Falkirk
Does anyone want to comment on the accuracy of the website and the names?
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]
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SarahND
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- Location: France
Hi Andy,
I checked one name, the origin of which I am pretty sure of, and the website had another completely different (and I think unlikely) story. The name is clearly related to a place, where there is a river and landforms by that name-- and is the only place in the world where that name takes over several pages in the phone book. Their story was very involved, but didn't mention the place or the river at all and, in fact, put the origin in a different country. I am not sure how reliable their sources are. What did you think of the ones you looked up?
Regards,
Sarah
I checked one name, the origin of which I am pretty sure of, and the website had another completely different (and I think unlikely) story. The name is clearly related to a place, where there is a river and landforms by that name-- and is the only place in the world where that name takes over several pages in the phone book. Their story was very involved, but didn't mention the place or the river at all and, in fact, put the origin in a different country. I am not sure how reliable their sources are. What did you think of the ones you looked up?
Regards,
Sarah
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Pandabean
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- Location: Aberdeenshire - Originally Falkirk
At first I looked up Fairnie and it seemed to come fron England which is not what I was told in another topic. However when I entered Fernie, which is how it was spelt early on in the 1700s it has another entry. This time it says they were from Fife, which is one of the places mentioned in my other topic.
As for the Greenlees name they say it comes from Glasgow, which may be true as the concentration of the name Greenlees (other than Musselburgh) is in the Glasgow area as well as Campbelltown.
I am still unsure, I was hoping that some people here would give it a go and see how true it is. I can't imagine there being definite places for every surname as some people were named after common places.
As for the Greenlees name they say it comes from Glasgow, which may be true as the concentration of the name Greenlees (other than Musselburgh) is in the Glasgow area as well as Campbelltown.
I am still unsure, I was hoping that some people here would give it a go and see how true it is. I can't imagine there being definite places for every surname as some people were named after common places.
Andy
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]
[size=75]
[b]McDonald[/b]
[b]Greenlees & Fairnie[/b] (Musselburgh area)
[b]Johnston, Whitson, Whitecross, Runciman [/b] (Haddingtonshire)
[b]Rutherford [/b](Dumbartonshire, Airth & Larbert)
[b]Ross, Stevenson & Robb[/b](Falkirk)[/size]
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DavidWW
- Posts: 5057
- Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2004 9:47 pm
I have to confess to having severe reservations about this site.
It strikes me a wee bit like a low quality Wikipedia, in the sense that the information isn't fully referenced in terms of sources equivalent to, say, a work such as Black's "Surnames of Scotland".
I've seen a good number of comments now, here and elsewhere, along the lines of surprise at the origin given for surnames
Not least - "Webster, - This interesting name, of Anglo-Saxon origin, is found chiefly in Yorkshire, Lancashire and the Midlands, and is a variant of the occupational name Webb, which was originally given to a weaver.........".
Nary a word about the extensive occurence of the name in Scotland, on the East coast, Dundee and north, nor of the probable connection to the Flemish wabster, for a female weaver.
On the other hand, the entry for one of my other main surnames, - Ross, - is first class!, never mind better than the Family History Monthly surname expert who totally ignored the SW Scotland origin. [see below]
Soooo..... you pays your money and you takes your choice
I guess that it's a question of judgement in terms of comparing an entry in www.surnamedb.com with other Scottish sources such as Black's
David
Surname: Ross
This ancient Anglo-Scottish surname has at least four origins. Firstly if found in southern Scotland, it is often from a Yorkshire family called Ros, Ross or Rosse, who purchased large estates in Ayrshire in the 12th century. These people were of Norman-French origins, who came over to England with Duke William of Normandy, better known in history as William,The Conqueror, in 1066. They originated from the village of 'Rots' near Caen, in Normandy. Secondly the name may be English but of Welsh (Olde English), origins, from any of the various places called Ross in Herefordshire, Northumberland, or the region of Ross in Northern Scotland, Roos in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and Roose in the county of Lancashire. The derivation in all cases is from the ancient word "rhos", meaning a headland. Thirdly, it may be of Anglo-Saxon pre 7th century origins, and a derivation of the personal name "Rozzo" meaning renown. Finally it may be of Old High German origin, and an occupational name for a breeder or keeper of horse. This is from the word "hros" meaning horse. Early examples of the surname recording include Serlo de Ros in the English Domesday Book of 1086, Bernard de Ross of Yorkshire in 1177, Robert Rosce in the pipe rolls of Kent in 1199, Sir Godfrey de Rose of Irvine, Scotland in 1205, and Donaldus de Ross of Perth, Scotland, in 1413.
I still find this entry frustrating, however, since, while much of the info corresponds with what I've found from other sources previously, there's no sources references at all for the info, apart from the early examples.
dww
It strikes me a wee bit like a low quality Wikipedia, in the sense that the information isn't fully referenced in terms of sources equivalent to, say, a work such as Black's "Surnames of Scotland".
I've seen a good number of comments now, here and elsewhere, along the lines of surprise at the origin given for surnames
Not least - "Webster, - This interesting name, of Anglo-Saxon origin, is found chiefly in Yorkshire, Lancashire and the Midlands, and is a variant of the occupational name Webb, which was originally given to a weaver.........".
Nary a word about the extensive occurence of the name in Scotland, on the East coast, Dundee and north, nor of the probable connection to the Flemish wabster, for a female weaver.
On the other hand, the entry for one of my other main surnames, - Ross, - is first class!, never mind better than the Family History Monthly surname expert who totally ignored the SW Scotland origin. [see below]
Soooo..... you pays your money and you takes your choice
I guess that it's a question of judgement in terms of comparing an entry in www.surnamedb.com with other Scottish sources such as Black's
David
Surname: Ross
This ancient Anglo-Scottish surname has at least four origins. Firstly if found in southern Scotland, it is often from a Yorkshire family called Ros, Ross or Rosse, who purchased large estates in Ayrshire in the 12th century. These people were of Norman-French origins, who came over to England with Duke William of Normandy, better known in history as William,The Conqueror, in 1066. They originated from the village of 'Rots' near Caen, in Normandy. Secondly the name may be English but of Welsh (Olde English), origins, from any of the various places called Ross in Herefordshire, Northumberland, or the region of Ross in Northern Scotland, Roos in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and Roose in the county of Lancashire. The derivation in all cases is from the ancient word "rhos", meaning a headland. Thirdly, it may be of Anglo-Saxon pre 7th century origins, and a derivation of the personal name "Rozzo" meaning renown. Finally it may be of Old High German origin, and an occupational name for a breeder or keeper of horse. This is from the word "hros" meaning horse. Early examples of the surname recording include Serlo de Ros in the English Domesday Book of 1086, Bernard de Ross of Yorkshire in 1177, Robert Rosce in the pipe rolls of Kent in 1199, Sir Godfrey de Rose of Irvine, Scotland in 1205, and Donaldus de Ross of Perth, Scotland, in 1413.
I still find this entry frustrating, however, since, while much of the info corresponds with what I've found from other sources previously, there's no sources references at all for the info, apart from the early examples.
dww
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Andrew C.
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When you find some information that you know is definately wrong it casts aspertions on every thing else they have to say. I put in a variety of names some of which I was fairly happy with others they seemed to link a similar name to another thinking they had the same root when they didn't. I suppose we should be correcting them as they looking for comments.