Abbey

If you lived near an abbey or worked at the abbey, then your name might be Abbey.

Harper

If you made harps or played harps, then your name might be Harper.

Blackburn

If you lived near a black stream, then your name might be Blackburn.

Barker

If you tanned leather, then your name might be Barker.

Cartwright

If you made carts for a living, then your name might be Cartwright.

Appleby

If you lived near an apple orchard or owned an apple orchard then your name might be Appleby.

The Shires of England

Some English surnames came from the shires of England. If your ancestors lived in that particular shire, then they might acquire the shire's name as their last name. Examples would be: Lincoln, Durham, Bedford, York, Kent, Westmoreland, and Buckingham.

Mercer

A mercer was someone who dealt in fine cloth. Therefore, if this was your occupation back in the fourteen hundreds then you name might be Mercer.

Stanwood

If you lived in a stony wood, then your name might be Stanwood.

Son Of Surnames

Many surnames in England developed because some people were named after their father. These type of names are called patronymic. Examples would be Richardson, which is the son of Richard and Robertson which is the son of Robert. In Scotland,"Mc," means son of, thus we have McDonald which is son of Donald. In Ireland, we have"Mac" which means son of. We also have"O," which means grandson of. Thus we have O'Quinn, O'Bannon, and O'Brian.

When William the Conquer came from Normandy to England, many French people came to the British Isles with him. They brought the term"Fitz" with them. This means son of in French. Thus we have Fitzgerald or son of Gerald.

The Welsh's term for son of was "Ap." Son of Owen was Ap Owen and over time became Bowen. Ap Rice became Price and Ap Richard became Prichard. Why it changed over the years I'm not sure.

Horner and Spooner

The name Horner comes from the occupation of making things from horns. Probably cow horns. Spoons were sometimes made from horns, so your name could be Horner or it might be Spooner.

Cliff-Clifton-Cleaver-Radcliff-Redcliff

If your name was Cliff, it was usually because you lived near a cliff. A cleave was a cliff; therefore, the name Cleaver. Clifton was a town on a cliff and if you lived near a cliff of red dirt and red rocks, your name might be Redcliff or Radcliff.