According to the BBC Family History website, before the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066, people in Great Britain did not have surnames. Since the communities were small, a person was known simply by his or her first name, i.e., John, Henry, Mary, etc.
As populations increased, it became necessary to add an occupation or place of residence to the name to clarify the identity of the person. For example, John became, John the butcher and Henry was Henry from Sutton.
Introduction of Surnames
The BBC, Family History website also noted, that it was only after the Norman Conquest that surnames were introduced. Therefore, James the Blacksmith became James Smith, Henry from Sutton became Henry Sutton and hereditary, surnames came into usage.
By 1400, most English and Scottish families had adopted a surname. After the Norman invasion many Celtic and Saxon names beginning with “O” such as Oslaf, Oslac, Oswald and Osway disappeared (“O” meaning God.}
According to the Aylsworth Early Family History website, the first mention of the name Aylesworth was in the year 926, when it was spelled exactly as it is today. In 1327, the Gloucester Subsidy Roll places a village in Gloucestershire, England with the name of Aylworth.
The website goes on to say it is possible the original name Eigil, the name of a hero in Norse mythology, was later shortened to Ayl. Worth meant a small homestead, so John of Ayl who owned land and a homestead became John Aylworth.
Surname Meanings
The history of many family names in Britain also derived from personal traits or personality. The website, Ancestors, Search For Origins, explains the origin of family based names like Reid meant red, ruddy complexion or red hair. Armstrong meant strong arms and Sharpe indicated a smart, quick minded person.
In the middle-ages surnames were sometimes written phonetically or as they sounded to an official record keeper. So Ayles may have sounded like Hails and was recorded as Hailsworth.
Before the advent of the typeset or the typewriter, all official documents in Britain and North America were hand-written often leading to different spellings of the same name. These officially recorded surnames were frequently adopted by the descendants and became the official, family surnames.
Records of Family Names
Up until the twentieth century, many official records kept in small communities across North America were still handwritten. This resulted in the inevitable spelling errors and misinterpretation of the surnames.
The best way to begin a search of the history of a family name is to locate the area from which the family originated and then try to determine the occupations and characteristics of these early ancestors. Examine all surnames with spellings that even come close to resembling the family surname currently in use.
Start from current surname and work backward as far as early records can be located. Given time and with some concerted effort, every family surname can be traced back to its place and date of origin.
Sheila Aylesworth - Sheila Aylesworth is a retired Student Resource Assistant. Her responsibilities included positive, communication with people from all ...
