Not Smith and Jones – Rare British Surnames On The Cusp Of Extinction - MyHeritage.com

26 Apr 201175 comments

Not Smith and Jones – Rare British Surnames On The Cusp Of Extinction

Do you have a rare surname? Could your family be amongst the final bearers of near extinct British surnames? If your surname is Miracle, Villan, Relish or Tumbler for example, then you're a dying breed in Britain. If your surname is Bread or Spinster...then we will be surprised as you're presumed extinct! Read more to find out!

To mark the completion of the 2011 UK census – when every person in the land is required to enter their personal details for posterity, we've identified the rarest British surnames: unusual last names that have lingered for centuries but are on the cusp of extinction (with just a handful of bearers), endangered (with under 200 bearers), or now missing, presumed extinct in 2011. Here we reveal these names and the origins and history of each.

We're also seeking the general public’s help to confirm whether surnames thought to be extinct have truly disappeared and, if so, just who the last bearers were. So if your surname is amongst the rare or presumed extinct names listed below - we'd love to hear from you!

BRITISH SURNAMES ON THE BRINK – with under 20 bearers

Sallow (English)

Sallow (as distinct from the plural form of the surname, Sallows) was the common mediæval word for the willow tree, and would have been applied to one whose dwelling was near to such a tree or a copse of them. It is strictly speaking a ‘location’ nickname, and derives from the Old English word for the willow, sealh. An early bearer of the name was Nicholas de Sallowe, mentioned in the Shropshire Rotuli Hundredorum of 1254.

Fernsby (English)

Fernsby also appears to be diminishing in frequency. It is a hybrid of the Old English fearn – a fern and the Danish suffix –by, indicating a settlement, or even a farmstead. The meaning was clearly ‘a dwelling near the ferns’ and the surname was later derived from this.

Villin or Villan (English)

Villin (and Villan) referred to a commoner (the villein, as we have it today), though there could have been few reasons to single out such a man, unless he was a servant in a noble household.

The Norfolk pipe rolls for the year 1167 lists one, Ernald Vilein. There were only 2 people on the 2009 electoral roll by the name of Villin, located in London.

Miracle (Welsh)

The surname Miracle is Welsh in origin, first recorded in Anglesey. It is a Celtic in origin, derived from the personal name Meuric, which is the Welsh form of Maurice. The surname Miracle is ultimately derived from the Latin personal name Mauritius, which means dark.

Dankworth (English)

The name is made up of two elements, the first of which is probably a shortening of the Old German male personal name Tancred (having acquired the hardened initial letter 'd' in Englishmen's speech). The second element, '-worth', is a common Anglo-Saxon suffix, referring to a farmstead or an enclosed settlement – meaning that the name probably locates 'the farmstead belonging to Tancred'.

Though 18^th and 19^th Century migration resulted in the Dankworth surname becoming well-established in the US, particularly in Ohio and Texas (with the late, Texas-born Ed Dankworth being a Former Alaska legislator), the family in the UK has remained small, with fewer Dankworths appearing to be recorded in the 21^st Century than at the start of the last. The most famous British bearer of the name was John Dankworth (1927-2010), the jazz composer, saxophonist and clarinettist, who was married to Cleo Laine, and whose children Jacqui and Alec have followed in their father’s footsteps as leading performers of British jazz.

Relish (English)

Relish was first recorded in English as a word during the 14^th Century, to refer to ‘taste or flavor’ derived from the Old French ‘relaisse’, meaning "something remaining, that which is left behind". It is not known when it first appeared as a surname in the UK, but is recorded in small numbers in 19^th Century censuses.

MacQuoid (Scottish)

There are only two examples of the surname MacQuoid in the British electoral records. It seems likely that the name is related to MacQuaid (a name still found in Co Monaghan). The meaning of MacQuoid is obscure, and no authority offers an origin (although in Scotland, the name would appear to be affiliated with the MacKay clan).

Loughty (Scottish)

Loughty is considered as a variation of Lochty, the name of two villages in Tayside (one a couple of miles west of Perth; the other about 6 miles west of Brechin). It is most likely that Loughty, Lochty (also Loughtie) are surnames from a place name. The word 'loch' is, of course, 'a lake or inlet'; and the suffix '-ty' usually signified the diminutive, the implied meaning being 'of, or by a small lake'.

Surnames linked to locations

Birdwhistle (English)

Birdwhistle relates to any of these ‘lost’ medieval villages: Birtwisle, near the town of Padiham in Lancashire; Briestwistle near Dewsbury in Yorkshire; or Breretwisel near Wath-upon-Dearne (also in Yorkshire). The meaning of the name has been given as a fork or junction on a river where birds nest, from the pre 7th century "bridd - twissel". It has also been recorded in the spellings Birdwistle, Birdwhistell, Birtwhistle and Burtwhistle.

Berrycloth (English)

This location name is from the place called ‘Barrowclough’ near Halifax in West Yorkshire. The derivation of the place name is from the Old English pre 7th Century ‘beara’, meaning grove, or wood; and "cloh" (a ravine or steep slope). Locational names were distributed around the country when those who bore the name moved from their original homes and went to live or work in another town or village, becoming known as ‘Berrycloth’.

Surnames linked to occupations

Culpepper (English)

Culpepper was an occupational name for a herbalist or spicer, from Middle English cull(en) to pluck, pick and peper (Old English piper – pepper). The prefix ‘cole’ means ‘false’ in some constructions: ‘Coleprophet’ means a false prophet, so another explanation is that Culpepper may mean a ‘false pepperer’, or ‘sham grocer’ i.e., one who traded outside the Fraternity of Pepperers, the Guild whence sprang the Grocers' Company, incorporated in 1345.

Tumbler (English/Scottish)

The Tumbler was an acrobat and sometimes an acrobatic dancer, often recruited to a nobleman’s court to provide entertainment, though just as often, he would be an itinerant performer. The name has long been shortened, in characteristic English fashion, to Tumber.

Tumbur is mentioned in an Oxfordshire document dated 1276. The origin of the word may be the Old English tombere – a dancer or acrobat, or Old French tombeor of the same meaning. There are a small number of Tumblers located in the area of Strathclyde, Scotland.

Surnames linked to the Calendar

Other British surnames that are within a hair’s breadth of vanishing are those which recall the months January, February, April, June, September, October, November and December.

BRITISH SURNAMES THAT ARE ENDANGERED – with under 200 bearers in the UK

Ajax (Welsh)

This very unusual surname seems to have arrived in Wales in the late 17^th Century. It is possible that the name was brought by Huguenot refugees fleeing religious persecution in France. The Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685 and large numbers of Protestants fled the country around that time.

Edevane (Welsh)

A rare Welsh surname, believed to be of Cornish origin. This surname is made up of two elements. ‘Ed’ is not a shortened form of Edward, but derives from the ancient (Old English?) ‘ead’ meaning ‘prosperity’ and/or ‘happiness’. This also gave rise to names like Edmund (‘prosperity protector’), Edward, (meaning ‘prosperity guardian’) and Edwin (‘prosperity friend’). The second element, ‘vean’ or ‘vane’ means ‘little’ or ‘the younger’. The Cornish ‘byghan’ became mutated in the same way as the Welsh ‘bychan’ became ‘fychan’ (i.e. ‘vychan’) when added to a personal name, and performed the same service of distinguishing between father and son where they had the same name. In Wales, this ultimately led to the well-known surname Vaughan. Edevane and variants, therefore, would seem to have the sense ‘the younger happy one’ or ‘the younger prosperous one’.

Gastrell (English)

The original meaning of the surname Gastrell is uncertain. It appears to have a mediaeval Norman diminutive suffix '-el' (which signifies affection), which may be coincidental. There are currently 44 listed in nationwide electoral records (though in the 1901 census 148 were listed - showing a significant decline). The Gastrell family crest is a snarling lion's head, and the USA has a larger proportion of bearers of the name than the UK.

Gastrell (English)

The name Gastrell – despite its rarity - has the unique feature of being banned in Stratford-upon-Avon. This is owing to the dramatic action of Rev. Francis Gastrell, who resided in New Place (once William Shakespeare’s home) during the 18th Century. Irritated by the large numbers of passers-by staring at the Bard of Avon’s former residence (particularly a mulberry tree supposedly planted by the poet, which enticed people to trespass and steal cuttings from it), Gastrell cut down the tree and chopped it to pieces. An alternative story suggests that Gastrell believed this action would lessen the value of the property (and the amount of tax he would have to pay).

In an apparent bid to avoid taxes, Gastrell went so far as to have New Place pulled to the ground entirely in 1759. This unforgivable action resulted in Gastrell being forced to leave the town, never to return. To ensure that neither the Reverend (nor his descendents) ever entered Stratford again, a bylaw was passed prohibiting anyone with the name Gastrell from taking residence in the area.

Slora (Scottish)

Slora seems to have several variations, including Slorra, Slorah, Slorach and Slorrance. There are currently 41 records of Slora, 5 of Slorah and over 200 of Slorach listed in current mainland electoral rolls (which thought to predominate in the Banff and Buchan districts of Scotland). The names are likely to have originated in the Gaelic 'sluagdach' ('leader') and may initially have referred to the clan elder. The names are associated with Clan Davidson.

BRITISH SURNAMES PRESUMED EXTINCT IN 2011

Bread (English)

Bread, as a relic of the occupation of baking, derives from the Old English bregdan (meaning to plait cord or yarn, and was associated with the emerging weaving industry). Geoffrey Braid is listed in 1198 in the Norfolk Fines archive.Though there were Breads in the mid-20^th Century, the family is name is thought to have died-out.

MacCaa (Scottish)

MacCaa has many clan associations; the most prominent being with the Stuarts of Bute, the Clan MacKay, the Clan MacFarlane, the Clan MacDonald and Clan Galloway. The name is a phonetic variation of MacKay, meaning 'son of Aoh (ie the champion)'. Other similar names in the group are MacCaw, MacCay, MacGaw, MacGee and MacKee. There seem to be over 900 holders of the name in the USA.

Spinster (English)

Spinster is the old feminine form of Spinner (itself a rare surname with a nucleus of bearers in the Thanet and Canterbury districts.) The word is Old English in origin – spinnan – to spin thread. It was freely applied in mediæval times to unmarried women, with no family of their own and whose everyday tasks were therefore centred round the domestic spinning wheel. The surname’s earliest record is John le Spinner, Worcester, in 1270.

Pussett, Puscat and Pussmaid (English)

Some mediæval nicknames which look as though they may have vanished from the surname registers within the last century are Pussett, Puscat and Pussmaid. These may now have vanished. Puscat had indeed disappeared from all mainland telephone directories by the end of the 20^thcentury and it is some years now since the name Pussmaid last appeared in the Severnside telephone book. Pussett was listed only once in the 2009 Tamworth (Staffs) telephone book. These names were clearly used affectionately and probably most often applied to a little ‘minx’ of a girl by her parents, though a Thomas Pusekat, appears in a Northumberland document of 1256. Pussett illustrates the use of the French diminutive suffix –ett.

Bythesea and Bytheseashore (English)

‘Location’ names that may have gone for good are Bythesea (pronounced ‘Bithersee’) and Bytheseashore (‘Bitherseeshore’). The first was early represented in 1336 by William Bythesee in Somerset. The bearers of these descriptive names would have recalled someone whose abode was close to a lake or pool (Old English sæ – a lake and scieran – an edge or margin) or even a stream.

Why And How Do Surnames Decline?

There are numerous explanations for the decline and disappearance of certain British surnames. Occupational surnames linked to common professions such as Smith and Baker enjoyed a natural head-start when last names first started to be recorded in the 13^th and 14^th centuries (Henry VIII making it compulsory for marital births to be recorded under the surname of the father): unusual names linked to localised topography or more niche professions were always going to be fewer in number.

In addition, the Napoleonic conflicts and the First World War saw entire generations of young men wiped out: boys who often bore distinctive surnames relating to the villages or hamlets from which they came. Likewise, migration resulted in already rare names leaving British shores, in some cases enjoying a new lease of life in the Americas or Australasia: an unusual trend is for British surnames which had become extinct being recently reintroduced to the UK as a consequence of economic migration by Americans now-resident in London. Another interesting development has been 19^th Century migrants, particularly from Eastern Europe, anglicising their names and inadvertently breathing new life into an extinct British name.

A further explanation for decline is developing trends in slang and language, which have given once-innocent names crude or humorous connotations in the modern age, prompting bearers to seek to amend them to avoid ridicule or negative associations.

However in many cases the principal cause for a name dying-out is more linked to simple fate: in less enlightened times, a man with only daughters was guaranteed that his family name would end with him!

If your surname is one of those listed above or you believe you have a rare surname - we'd love to hear from you! (Feel free to write in the comments section of this blog or email caroline@myheritage.com).

With thanks to William Lewis, author of What's In Your Surname? (http://www.brazenheadpublishing.co.uk) and to www.192.com for their research help.

Posted by Caroline on April 26th, 2011 - 00:00

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Comments (75) Trackbacks (2) ( subscribe to comments on this post )

Katie
April 26th, 2011 - 12:17
McMuldren, my family changed the spelling in the mid-1800s in Scotland, from McMuldroch (itself a rare name). I don't believe there are any McMuldren's left in Scotland at the moment, though there are some in the US.
Catherine
April 27th, 2011 - 00:27
My last name is Bobich. It is ending in our family. My brother is done having children so the name will stop with him. I have not found many and cannot trace my great grandfather Thomas Bobich who was killed in a pedestrian accident in Pittsburgh in the 30's. There is rumor that perhaps it used to be spelled Babich. ???
DeeJay
April 27th, 2011 - 10:15
Craufurd (my maiden name) with that particular spelling seems pretty rare.
Linda
April 27th, 2011 - 11:06
Thank you, I really enjoyed reading this post and have subscribed to your blog. It's wonderful to trace the meanings of names back, really brings the past to life.
laraine smith
April 27th, 2011 - 13:36
Oh how I wish for a rare name My married name is Smith my maiden name was Greening and I have Walsh, Wilson, Smedley and Day /O'Day in my tree and they are all never ending. Makes it so hard for your doing family tree.
Claudia Brackenborough
April 28th, 2011 - 20:15
My surname is Brackenborough (by marriage) and there seem to be very few of us around as my husband was an only child and so was his father. We have 2 daughters. I would love to know the meaning of the name and where it originates from. There is a village in Lincolnshire called Brackenborough and I know of some Brackenboroughs in Lincolnshire in times past but it is thought that the name originates from Scotland.
Rachel Johns
April 29th, 2011 - 01:34
My research name is Tregonwell - already extinct as a surname. Lives on as a middle name. I have had contact from two guild members who have connections to the name and look forward to other contacts.
W H Revis
May 2nd, 2011 - 21:05
Family name and crest not shown on crest builder
Peter Coates
May 18th, 2011 - 15:32
My family name MENAH which came from Larne in Northern Ireland now has only one member. My great Grandfather came over around 1895 and he may have changed the name. I have been unable to trace the family for certain in Northern Ireland. There may be one other family in this country with the name.
trevor whorne
May 21st, 2011 - 16:31
HI my name is Whorne I believe there are under 20 in the UK plus perhaps a similar number in the US, Variations include warne and wharne which I think may be more in number and from what I can see some originate from misspellings in the electoral role in the mid 1800's
John Bisbrown
July 10th, 2011 - 19:28
Hi, my name is John BISBROWN. I believe there are under 20 of us in the world, with only my son to carry on the name, In 2 generations there have been 17 Bisbrowns but almost all girls.
David J Grimshaw
September 9th, 2011 - 06:46
Hi, I am have been carrying out a One Name Study on the Grimason surname and it's variations World Wide.
I beleive that the Grimason / Grimeson / Grimison surname is rather rare, The Grimesey surname is said to be a corruption of the Grimason surname.
The surname may be a corruption of the Grimson or Grimston/e Surname.
Lauren
September 24th, 2011 - 20:51
Hello My name is Lauren Buttery ;) just wondering if anyone knows where i can find a rare book of surnames because i would like to know if mine is in there :)

PS. Does anyone know anything about my last name? :)
Jon
October 5th, 2011 - 02:01
Does anyone know anything about the name Mylrea?

Thanks.
Craig
October 10th, 2011 - 23:48
Surname Silvie If there is anyone in britain with this name i'm related to them.
Andreas Key
October 18th, 2011 - 00:13
Hi there,
my wife is Brazilian but her grandmother was called Maria Aquis and she spoke horrible Portuguese (Light blond, really white skin).
In the 1881 census I was able to find the family of a Edward Aquis living in Hampstead, Middlesex. He was listed to have been born in Egypt and his wife in Malta...
In the 1861 census I found a John Aquis who is said to have been born in Lincolnshire... (I imagine Edwards father).
Before that I can only find a Edward in Graitny, Dumfries, Scotland baptiesed in 1767.
As there ares so few of them it makes me think they were rae then and now extinct in the UK.
Must be one of the names that went away with the Empire...
The Brazilian line of the Aquis name also disapeared as their only daughter got maried...
Sad!
Phoebe Barnett.
October 27th, 2011 - 09:51
Does anyone know a Barnett? It doesn't sound to me like a rare name but I'd still like to know. Thanks!
Jessica Kette
November 4th, 2011 - 03:45
I have a friend whose last name is Barnett so I dont think it's too rare. Does anyone know a Kette
apellido agnus
December 3rd, 2011 - 20:56
hola
alguien sabe el significado del apellido agnus?
Jade Slee
December 12th, 2011 - 16:47
I'm a Slee - I know there's not that many people with that name in the UK, so does anyone know any other Slee? Just interested!
villava
February 12th, 2012 - 09:53
search in facebook :p im a villava and it is a rare surname as well. from spain but in philippines and in mexico there is also just 2 families of villava
Nik Skeat
February 20th, 2012 - 12:13
Any other Skeat's about? Not Skeet, Sket, Skeats or any other version? I've not found many, and I seem to be related to all of them. The sad thing is that my son seems to be the youngest, and possibly therefore the last, of that name.
It's only a matter of time before the whole of the country is called Smith, Jones or Williams :(
Gem
February 24th, 2012 - 20:35
My surname, Thorp, is apparently Viking for 'village'. 'Thorpe' - with an e - isn't too uncommon, but the variation without one is rarer. I don't know if this will make the list, but lots of people have said that it's unusual, especially without the 'e'.
Robert Phillifent
March 5th, 2012 - 08:21
My name is PHILLIFENT. There probably only two people with that surname in the U.K. Myself and my sister! There maybe another in the USA with that surname but even they are direct relations.
The name probably originated in Britanny/Normandy and is said to be have come from the French" fils enfant".
Please note that our name is ONE syllablel it is NOT pronounced Phillee fent!!
Reneisse Lyle
March 20th, 2012 - 07:51
My last name is Bythesea
Liah
April 1st, 2012 - 20:14
Catherine, whose grandfather was Thomas Bobich, there is a high probability it was Babich, which is a very common surname in the Balkans. Many immigrants anglicized their last names. Also, Ms Kette, Kette is a famous slovene poet. Maybe you have slavic heritage:D
Ann McDonald
April 13th, 2012 - 06:31
I've been researching a name in my family tree - De Rippe and various spellings. I believe the last person in England with the name died in the 1890s. I'd like to be proved wrong (The name Derippe is still current in France).
catherine nethercoat
April 14th, 2012 - 22:39
This is such an interesting site, thanks for posting. My married name is Nethercoat. It's pretty unusual when spelt that way, there aren't too many around.
michael leardodd
May 21st, 2012 - 07:31
LEARDDODD no other family in the world with this name wish i knew where this came from?
Steph
May 21st, 2012 - 22:40
My grandmas maiden name was Mcsherry, and I'm not sure if it's common or not because she's irish and the rest of my family and me are all brittish. is it a comon name for someone in Northen Ireland ?
alwena jones
June 10th, 2012 - 20:07
to Lauren Buttery
I was at Upton golf club in Chester last night, I noticed the surname Buttery had won a lot of awards.
Claire Gyurkikiss
June 18th, 2012 - 19:43
I'm not from the UK, (but I do have English/Scottish/Irish blood in me) and I have a very rare last name: Gyurkikiss. Well, that's the changed version. The original was Gyűrki-Kiss and has been that way from the 1100's until when my grandpa came to the US after the Hungarian Revolution. (The slanted umlaut was removed, then my dad changed it to Gyurkikiss for simplicity's sake)
Adrianna
July 13th, 2012 - 02:47
My last name is Stegall. Has anyone ever heard of this name before?
Victoria Cutrell
July 13th, 2012 - 04:22
Has anyone heard of the variation of Cutrell? Not Cuthrell or Cantrell...which I'm sure is what Cutrell is derived from. If you know anything about the name, let me know!

Thanks,
Tori Cutrell
SonjaS
July 13th, 2012 - 23:17
My family surname was originally Spradbarrow but somehow became Sprayberry when they left England for the colonies in the 1741.No idea how or why it was changed.
Vitalia Carlino
August 4th, 2012 - 14:28
Hi I know someone with the surname ROMATET I know it is French but I'm hoping someone will know something because I'm quite curious - I've searched it but there isn't much information on it.
Kate Melor
August 16th, 2012 - 05:47
Hey, has anyone heard of the surname Melor ?
SallyC
September 4th, 2012 - 22:19
I know someone with the surname Mellor Kate but not with the one 'l' :)
Rae
September 24th, 2012 - 13:10
Look up the name Piety. I'm sure it wuld be in your endangered list. In the mid 1800's it was mainly concentrated in Kent. Most the Piety family had 90% females so the name is disappearing. My 4 x Great Grandfather Thomas Piety was a convict sent to Australia. He had just one boy and 5 girls.
ekless
September 28th, 2012 - 10:05
my name is donald ekless , I have family recods going back centuries .At this present time there is just two males who are able to continue the name EKLESS
pratik vyland
October 2nd, 2012 - 19:35
my last name is vyland....my roots are from britain and netherland.....i know everone else with my surname cause there are related to me...hardly 20 of them....i hope to findsome more people with my surname..
dave
October 12th, 2012 - 19:49
hi - my surname is crumpling, goto be up there with one of the rarest. If you are or know of any id love to here- thanks
Thomas
October 26th, 2012 - 11:59
My surname is Beilby. I don't know how rare it is but I have never known anyone else to have this surname other than my relatives.
I have met people with the variant spelling Bielby, but never with the same spelling as me.
Molly-Rose
November 11th, 2012 - 14:44
To Kate Melor
I know someone called George Melor, I also know his brother but I've forgotten his name...oops
Courtney
November 15th, 2012 - 04:28
Gem,
A few of my cousins have the surname Thorp without the e, not sure how common it is though
Joanne
December 6th, 2012 - 00:13
My surname is Relish - does anyone know anything about this name. Have tried to trace it many times but cant go far enough back.
Becca
December 22nd, 2012 - 15:19
I have a friend with the last name Zee, and I thought it was something he made up. And he's like, nope that's my name. Zee.
Sam
January 18th, 2013 - 09:38
Hello everyone,
I'm an American with the surname: "Bedison". My family has tracked it as far back as the middle 1800's here in the US, but that's as far as we've gotten. No records exist at Ellis Island, NY (our national port of entry for that time period and earlier). My grandmother told my dad that the name originally came from England. Has anyone ever heard of that name in the UK? And if yes, please contact me at my e-mail address: smb216@cox.net
I'd love to get in contact with any long lost cousins in the UK so we can track the family history further back then 150 years.

Thanks,
Sam
Jessica
January 25th, 2013 - 23:54
My last name is Murphey. it seems that everyone else spells it without an "E". if anyone has any information about any other Murphey or any information about the family please contact me at saphire127@gmail.com
Carol Carter
January 29th, 2013 - 20:00
Hi, my last name is pretty common but my grandfathers moms last name was Leadbeatter. It's pretty obvious what trade her family was in but what area of England would it be from?
Rebecca
February 16th, 2013 - 17:06
my surname is Timson-Sheppard and I believe that my sister and I are the only ones who have it in the world:(
Faebe
February 18th, 2013 - 12:52
Is Evason considered rare?
RELISH IS A NAME
February 21st, 2013 - 11:52
Deriving from an english midevil period the name RELISH originated from France under the name Releis, which meant as a reference to taste
Claudette Floyd
February 21st, 2013 - 21:51
Hello, I am looking for a surname ,Revada or Roveda .This is my mother maiden name. She is no alive so I started looking for her family. I was told her family were from Spain but I found out they change their surname and were Italian. If any one with either these names ,we need to talk. Please email mail me at pinkdarkstar@aol.com. Thank you. We may be related.
Chris Doswell nee Mosney
February 22nd, 2013 - 07:50
My maiden name is Mosney and my married name is Doswell. Both seem very rare.
Karen L Fletcher
February 22nd, 2013 - 12:16
Well, I'm a Fletcher. I reckons there's thousands of us!!
Sally J. Bradford
February 22nd, 2013 - 13:06
My maiden name was Regester and it used to be common in Norfolk but not sure how many are left. My sister and I married so no more in my family. Sally J. Bradford
Ann Coffin
February 22nd, 2013 - 15:55
I am Canadian with an unusual surname: Coffin. Funnily enough, I lived for four years in the UK and never once ran into anyone who had heard of the name, even in Dorset where the name originated. Back in Canada, I am always running into people who ask me if I know so and so with the same last name. And they usually not related to me.
Philip Shave
February 22nd, 2013 - 20:32
My christian name is Philip and my surname is SHAVE.I am the last male in our family line.
Amy Wolstenholme
February 24th, 2013 - 10:59
My surname is Wolstenholme, I have no idea about its rarity.
Colin Sussams
February 24th, 2013 - 21:47
The family originally lived in the Watton area of Norfolk. My father had two brothers, but he was the only one who had a son. I have one son who lives in London, who also has a son, my grandson. There used to be other families in Norfolk with the same surname who to my knowledge were unrelated. I still live in Norfolk, but know of nobody else with the surname of Sussams. Research shows that people with this surname have lived in and around Watton for at least two hundred years
Byatt
February 25th, 2013 - 18:44
I know there are only thirty byatts in Britain
Ez Dyer
February 28th, 2013 - 07:57
Many of these name are still around in Australia.
I've come across people called Regester, Coffin, Sussems (not Sussams alas) and Beilby.
There are Mylreas all over Aus. Never come across a Phillifent or Nethercoat though.
I think there are some Brackenboroughs in Queensland.
Matthew Titchiner
March 2nd, 2013 - 21:59
Any Titchiner's out there? I know it spelt Titchener is more common but still there aren't many of us and I'm the only one to carry on the family name as far as I know, unless there are distant cousins.
Elli Edwards
March 11th, 2013 - 06:38
my son's surname is Whyham he is English his father English two families in England share this surnames in America we have found
just one guy James Whyham ... is a very rare surname hopefully my son will have various boys to pass on the surname
Nellie
March 30th, 2013 - 15:10
My maiden name is Coon. As I married and no longer use the name and only my sister uses it, and my parents are deceased too, I imagine it is a rare name nowadays.
I have many a time been met with a look of complete disbelief when giving my name. People assume it has something to do with racism, or insist on adding an e at the end or changing the spelling to Coombe, or Cook. Hence I decided to stick with my more common married name.
I would be very interested to know how many people have the name Coon.
Jonathan Glasscock
March 30th, 2013 - 20:17
My surname is Glasscock. I have no idea why it's dying.
Aimee
April 3rd, 2013 - 14:32
Great post.
Beagrie is my surname, its pretty rare and I would love to find out just how many of us there is. The name by itself will be wiped out from my family as some chose to double barrel with Parker, making them Parker-Beagrie's.
Oliver
April 4th, 2013 - 10:39
Maiermajer - now more common in Poland and German and possibly extinct in England . I heard many Poles have it , but I don't trace this back.
Louisa Midnighter
April 4th, 2013 - 10:41
Midnighter - my maiden name . Seems very rare and I don't know why it would be extinct.
Aira Po
April 12th, 2013 - 05:55
Mine is Po!!!!I would like to know if many ppl use it',' ^-^
Dan Samsburry
May 5th, 2013 - 12:01
My name is Samsburry, a name I've found very very rare, possibly on the brink of extinction. Living in the US, I have a daughter, no cousins, a brother with no children so my name is probably going to disappear to Smith and other common surnames. Too bad!
Skippy Loves HP
May 8th, 2013 - 01:28
My last name is Skipper. Yes, Skipper. Everyone calls my dad "Skip" and they call me "Skippy"
Johnny Bicturd
May 14th, 2013 - 06:43
"Bicturd".
Pamela Schmidt
May 14th, 2013 - 17:52
There seems to be plenty of my maiden name Giltrow about, but the name Bythesea caught my attention. I wonder if it has anything to do with the tongue-twister I learnt as a child?
"She sell sea-shells by the sea-shore.
If she sells sea-shells by the sea-shore,
Where are the sea-shells she sells, by the sea-shore?"