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What are the oldest English last names?

Believe it or not, the oldest recorded English name is Hatt. An Anglo-Saxon family with the surname Hatt are mentioned in a Norman transcript, and is identified as a pretty regular name in the county. It related simply to a hat maker and so was an occupational name.
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What are the oldest last names ever?

The oldest surname known to have been recorded anywhere in Europe, though, was in County Galway, Ireland, in the year 916. It was the name “O Cleirigh” (O'Clery). In England, the Normans introduced surnames after 1066.
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What is the oldest last name in the world?

The oldest surname in the world is KATZ (the initials of the two words — Kohen Tsedek). Every Katz is a priest, descending in an unbroken line from Aaron the brother of Moses, 1300 B.C.
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What are traditional English last names?

Appendix:English surnames (England and Wales)
  • Smith 652,563.
  • Jones 538,874.
  • Williams 380,379.
  • Taylor 306,296.
  • Brown 291,872.
  • Davies 279,647.
  • Evans 222,580.
  • Thomas 202,773.
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What were the 70s English last names?

1 SMITH 2719 2 BROWN 1970 3 WILSON 1886 4 ROBERTSON 1796 5 CAMPBELL 1749 6 STEWART 1675 7 THOMSON 1658 8 ANDERSON 1511 9 SCOTT 1194 10 MACDONALD 1146 11 REID 1115 12 MURRAY 1114 13 CLARK 1042 14 TAYLOR 1016 15 ROSS 946 16 YOUNG 904 17 PATERSON 903 18 WATSON 888 19 MITCHELL 869 20 FRASER 852 21 MORRISON 845 22 WALKER ...
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What Your Last Name Means

What is the most British last name ever?

The most common surname in Scotland and the UK as a whole, Smith originated from the Middle English period. 546,960 UK nationals have it. It started out as an occupational name for someone who worked with metal, such as a Blacksmith.
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What were Middle Ages British last names?

Common surnames such as Smith, Wright, Fletcher, Knight, Cook, Squire, Taylor and Turner are all based around medieval trades or occupations. Some surnames derive from personal traits or looks, such as Armstrong, Swift, Red and Short.
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What are northern British last names?

Widespread 'Northern' surnames

Other surnames that are found just about everywhere in Britain in significant numbers but with a particularly strong representation in all or most of the northern counties include Atkinson; Robinson; Gibson; Harrison; Richardson; Wilkinson and Williamson.
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What are old fashioned last names?

Top Vintage Surnames
  • Alden.
  • Booker.
  • Boyd.
  • Buford.
  • Burton.
  • Carlton.
  • Carmine.
  • Clifton.
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Did English royalty have last names?

Members of the Royal Family can be known both by the name of the Royal house, and by a surname, which are not always the same. And often they do not use a surname at all. Before 1917, members of the British Royal Family had no surname, but only the name of the house or dynasty to which they belonged.
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What was Jesus last name?

We often refer to Jesus as Jesus Christ, and some people assume that Christ is Jesus's last name. But Christ is actually a title, not a last name. So if Christ isn't a last name, what was Jesus's last name? The answer is Jesus didn't have a formal last name or surname like we do today.
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What is the longest living bloodline?

The lineage of K'ung Ch'iu or Confucius (551–479BC) can be traced back further than that of any other family. His great-great-great-great grandfather Kung Chia is known from the 8th century BC. Kung Chia has 86 lineal descendants.
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What is the oldest name in England?

The oldest recorded English name

The oldest English surname on record was actually from East Anglia. Believe it or not, the oldest recorded English name is Hatt. An Anglo-Saxon family with the surname Hatt are mentioned in a Norman transcript, and is identified as a pretty regular name in the county.
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What is the oldest European surname?

O'Cleary (Irish: Ó Cléirigh) is the surname of a learned Gaelic Irish family. It is the oldest recorded surname in Europe — dating back to 916 CE — and is cognate with cleric and clerk. The O'Clearys are a sept of the Uí Fiachrach dynasty, who ruled the Kingdom of Connacht for nearly two millennia.
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What last names are almost extinct?

10 Rare English Surnames About to Go Extinct
  • Chips.
  • Hatman.
  • Temples.
  • Raynott.
  • Woodbead.
  • Nithercott.
  • Rummage.
  • Southwark.
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What surnames no longer exist?

Research extinct surnames
  • Sallow.
  • Fernsby.
  • Villin (Villan)
  • Miracle.
  • Dankworth.
  • Relish.
  • MacQuoid.
  • Loughty.
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What are vintage names?

Here are some of our favorite unique old fashioned names that have awesome shortened options:
  • Beatrice (Bea)
  • Bernadette (Bernie)
  • Dorothy (Dot, Dottie)
  • Edith (Eadie)
  • Estelle (Stella)
  • Evelyn (Evie)
  • Florence (Flo)
  • Frances (Frankie)
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What is the #1 most common last name?

The most common surname in the United States is Smith. Actually, the most common surname in just about every English-speaking country is Smith. As you may already suspect, the last name “Smith” refers to the blacksmith trade.
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What is a good rare last name?

Unique Last Names
  • Barlowe.
  • Caddel.
  • Hart.
  • Katz.
  • Laurier.
  • Madden.
  • Elrod.
  • Whitlock.
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What is the least common last name in England?

British surnames on the brink - with under 20 bearers
  • Sallow (English) ...
  • Fernsby (English) ...
  • Villin or Villan (English) ...
  • Miracle (Welsh) ...
  • Dankworth (English) ...
  • Relish (English) ...
  • MacQuoid (Scottish) ...
  • Loughty (Scottish)
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What English surname means intelligent?

Quinn. This short-and-sweet Irish surname means "intelligent," and has become popular for both boys and girls.
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What are the 7 English surnames?

Do you have one of the seven types of English surnames?
  • Place names. ...
  • Occupational. ...
  • Personal characteristics. ...
  • Estate names. ...
  • Geographical features. ...
  • Ancestral. ...
  • Signifying patronage.
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What are stereotypical old British names?

Abraham, Albert, Alfie, Alfred, Archie, Archibald, Arthur, Benedict, Cecil, Charles, Charlie, Edward, Edwin, Eric, Ernest, Ezra, Frank, Freddie, Frederick, George, Henry, Jack, Oliver, Reggie, Reginald, Stanley, Ted, Winston.
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What were old English names in the 1500s?

So, in the mid-1500s Richard was in the top 50 baptismal names for both boys and girls. Other names commonly used for both boys and girls included Philip, Nicholas, Alexander, James, Gilbert, Aubrey, Reynold, Basil, Eustace, Giles, Edmund and Simon.
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What are the longest British last names?

The longest single English surname is Featherstonehaugh (17 letters), variously pronounced Featherstonehaw or Festonhaw or Fessonhay or Freestonhugh or Feerstonhaw or Fanshaw.
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