Hayward

The hayward was in charge of the fields that produced hay. He was also responsible for the hedges(fences) around the hayfield. This is how the name Hayward came about.

Sawyer

A person whose occupation was sawing trees into boards was called a sawyer. If you did this, your name might be Sawyer.

Draper

If someone made or sold cloth, then their name might be Draper.

Marshall

A marshall was a person whose occupation was to care for horses such as a groom. If you cared for horses your name might be Marshall.

Shaw

A shaw was a small wood or clearing with-in the trees. If you lived next to the shaw then your name might be Shaw.

Moore

If you lived near a marsh or bog your name might be Moore.

Prescott

Your name might be Prescott if you were the gardener at the priest's cottage, or maybe you were the cook at the priest's cottage.

Glover and Weaver

If your name is Glover, then your ancestors probably made or sold gloves. If your name is Weaver, then your ancestors did weaving.

Archer and Fletcher

An archer was a bowman, while a fletcher made arrows. So if your name is Archer or Bowman your ancestors derived their names from their occupations.

Cooper and Chandler

A cooper made barrels and a chandler made candles.

Thatcher and Tyler

The thatcher made roofs for houses usually out of sod and straw, while the tyler made tiles. Most often these tiles were used for roofs for churches and castles. So if your last name is Tyler or Thatcher your ancestors back in the 1200's acquired these names because of their occupation.

Hurst

A hurst was a grove of trees, usually fruit trees. So if you lived near a hurst or in a hurst your name might be hurst. (Saxon origin)

Coombs and Holcombe

Coombs is a valley between two hills and Holcombe is a wooded valley between two hills. So if you lived in a valley between two hills or a wooded valley between two hills then your name might be Coombs or Holcombe.

Surname Snooks

The surname Snooks was derived from the name Seven Oaks. If you lived near seven oak trees, then your name became Seven Oaks. Over the years Seven Oaks became Snoaks. The eve was dropped first. Then the a became an "o". Thus we have Snooks. This probably took about six hundred years to happen.

Surnames Croft-Bancroft-Ryecroft

If your last name was Croft, then you probably lived in a house next to an enclosed field used to grow a crop. Bancroft grew beans in their croft. Ryecroft grew rye in their croft.

Introduction

English surnames or last names came about around 1200 A.D. As the population began to increase, it was necessary to distinguish one individual from another. If you had five Johns living on a road, how would you know who paid their taxes? So people started to have two names.

Some names were derived from the persons father like Richardson, which is son of Richard. Some names came about because of where you lived like Churchhill. The Churchhills usually lived by the Church on the hill. Some names were derived from a characteristic such as white hair. Then your last name could be White. Finally, some names were derived from ones occupation such as Carter. One who carted goods to town.