English surnames are as varied as the country’s history, drawn from trades, places, personal names and nicknames, and there are a great many of them, from names borne by hundreds of thousands of people to rare ones carried by only a handful. This guide looks at the most common English surnames and their meanings, some rare and disappearing ones, a few delightfully strange examples, and surnames with noble roots.
English Surnames: Common, Rare & Ancient
How English surnames began
In England, as in much of the world, surnames arose from a practical need: to tell apart people who shared the same first name.
When given names were few and often repeated within a village, a second name was added to mark a trade, a place of origin, a father's name or a distinguishing trait. Over time these became hereditary.
That is why most English surnames fall into a few types:
occupational (Smith, Taylor), patronymic (Jones, Wilson), locational (from a place or landscape feature) and descriptive nicknames (Brown, White).
The most common English surnames
The most common surname in the United Kingdom is Smith, borne by around 650,000 people, followed by Jones, Taylor and other names you are sure to recognise.
| Surname | Type | Origin and meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Smith | Occupational | From the blacksmith or metalworker, a trade found in every village |
| Jones | Patronymic | Son of John (Welsh); the older Joneson gave the modern Johnson |
| Taylor | Occupational | From "tailor" (Old French tailleur); recorded as Taylour in the 1273 Hundred Rolls |
| Brown | Descriptive | For someone with brown or dark hair, from the old word brun |
| Wilson | Patronymic | Son of Will (William), from the Germanic Willahelm, "resolute protector" |
| Davies | Patronymic | Son of David (Davie or Davey), especially common in Wales |
| Johnson | Patronymic | Son of John |
| Evans | Patronymic | Descendant of Evan, the Welsh form of John |
| Thompson | Patronymic | Son of Thom, short for Thomas |
| Roberts | Patronymic | Son of Robert (whose pet form Robin gave Robinson) |
| White | Descriptive | For someone with fair hair or a pale complexion, from Old English hwit, "white" |
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Rare and disappearing surnames
The United Kingdom also has many rare surnames, some carried by only a handful of people and at risk of dying out.
- Sallow: from a medieval word for the willow tree; recorded from 1841, with many Sallow families later in the United States.
- Villan: appears in the Domesday Book (1085 to 1086); thought to relate to a villein (a feudal tenant), it survives in forms such as Villanus, Vilein and Villane.
- Fernsby: said to mean "settlement by the ferns", combining "fern" with the Old Norse suffix -by that the Vikings used for a settlement.
- Relish: first recorded in the 14th century; possibly from the Old French relaisse, "something left behind"; how it became a surname is unclear.
- Miracle: of Welsh origin, from Meuric (a Welsh form of Maurice, from the Latin Mauritius); most people named Miracle now live in North America.
- Dankworth: likely "Tancred's farm", from a pet form of the name Tancred plus the Old English -worth, meaning an enclosure or farm.
Strange and amusing surnames
Some English surnames raise a smile.
- Birdwhistle (Birtwistle): a Lancashire name, generally traced to a place, with "twistle" meaning a fork where streams meet.
- Winterbottom: from "winter" plus "bottom" in its old sense of a valley or low-lying pasture, so "the winter valley".
- Jelly: despite the word, it is thought to derive from the given name Giles.
- Onion: not the vegetable but the Welsh personal name Enion (Einion), especially common in Wales.
- Gotobed: recorded as Gotobedde in 1269; most likely a nickname rather than a literal description.
Noble and ancient surnames
Some English surnames trace back to noble families and their titles.
- Astley: an old family name associated with the Barons Astley.
- Byron: the family of the Barons Byron, of whom the poet Lord Byron was the sixth.
- Capell: the family of the Earls of Essex.
- Clifford: the Barons Clifford of Chudleigh.
- Courtenay: the family of the Earls of Devon.
- Coventry: the family of the Earls of Coventry.
- Dormer: the Barons Dormer.
Summary
English surnames come mainly from four sources: trades (Smith, Taylor), a father's name (Jones, Wilson, Johnson), places, and descriptive nicknames (Brown, White).
The most common is Smith, followed by Jones and Taylor. Alongside them sit rare names at risk of vanishing (Sallow, Fernsby, Miracle), curiosities like Winterbottom and Gotobed, and names with noble roots such as Byron and Courtenay.
Every one is a small piece of English social history, and exploring them is a fine way into the language and culture, ideally on an English course with SPRACHCAFFE.
FAQ
Most arose from four sources: occupations (Smith, Baker), places (Hill, London), personal or father's names (Johnson, Williams) and nicknames describing a person (Brown, Long).
Smith is the most common surname in England, originally an occupational name for a metalworker. Others such as Jones, Williams and Taylor also rank near the top.
They arose from a practical need to tell apart people who shared the same first name, when given names were few. Over time these added names became hereditary.
Yes. Many still reveal a trade, a place, an ancestor or a characteristic, so a surname often carries a small piece of a family's medieval history within it.
An English course in the UK immerses you in the language and its history.
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