Chapter Summary

This page is a curated list of 100 surnames that I think would fit well in Magical Britain. Some have meanings that I like, and others just look nice or sound interesting.

Click the arrows (â–¼ and â–²) in order to quickly navigate between sections.
â–¼ Cornish Given Names
â–¼ English Given Names
â–¼ Irish Given Names
â–¼ Scottish Given Names
â–¼ Welsh Given Names

Cornish Surnames â–²

1. Beaglehole, possibly derived from bugel hal, “shepherd of the moor,” but perhaps “hobgoblin’s lair” or “shepherd’s hole.” 
2. Bunny, meaning “big-boned.”
3. Cardy, meaning “black fort.” 
4. Caws, meaning “fen, reed.” 
5. Godolphin, meaning “rising ground.”
6. Goff, meaning “red-haired” or “smith.” In the latter case, well-attested in East Anglia. 
7. Hender, meaning “old homestead.”
8. Kneebone, meaning “knee bone.”
9. Liddicoat, meaning “gray wood,” generally referring to communities of the name Lidcott, Lidcutt, etc.
10. Lower, meaning “horse leader.” 
11. Maker, meaning “wall.”
12. Menear, meaning “menhir, standing stone.” 
13. Nancarrow, meaning “valley of the deer.” See “Carrow” in Canonical Families
14. Penhollow or Penhallow, meaning “head (or end, top) of the heath (or moor).”
15. Roach, meaning “rock, cliff, promontory.”
16. Rosewall, meaning “rampart, ford by the wall.”
17. Skyburrow, from skyberyow, “barns.”
18. Tomes, patronym of Thomas (Tom), meaning “twin.”
19. Vial, derived from the French vitale, “life.” 
20. Wills, referring to someone who lived “by the spring or stream.” 

English â–²

1. Baskerville, meaning “copse (or thicket) settlement.” Norman origin. Most common in Herefordshire. 
2. Beausire, meaning “good sir.” Another variant is “Bowser.” Norman origin. Most common in Lancashire. 
3. Coffin, meaning “basket, container; chest, coffer.” Originated in Devonshire. See “Pinecoffin” in Canonical Families.
4. Crossley, from cros, “cross,” and leah, “woodland clearing.” Originated in Yorkshire. 
5. Drake, meaning either “drake, male duck” or “snake, dragon,” in both cases well attested in Old English. Most common in southern England. 
6. Drinkwater refers either to poverty (and the inability to purchase anything to drink but water) or to a refusal to drink alcohol. Originated in Gloucestershire. 
7. Fairchild, meaning “handsome child, noble child.” Earliest attestations appear to be in Cambridgeshire. 
8. French, an anglicization of Defreine, meaning “ash tree.” Doesn’t actually mean “French person.” Norman origin. Seems to have been most common in Essex. 
9. Heaviside, meaning “Hefa’s side or slope (of a hill),” and referring to one of a couple of settlements named Heavyside. Most common in Durham, North East England. 
10. Hooten, referring to the community of Hooton, Cheshire, and meaning “hill-spur settlement.” Cheshire is located in North West England. 
11. Jenner, meaning “engineer.” Most common in East Sussex. 
12. Loveless, meaning “free from love; bachelor,” and also a variant of Lawless, meaning “outlaw.” Most common in Dorset. 
13. Nix, meaning “Nick’s son.” Seems to be most common in Nottinghamshire. 
14. Omohundro, of a completely unknown meaning, but attested by 1670 by Richard Omohundro, an English immigrant to the Colony of Virginia. Perhaps he had magical heritage. Unattested in the U.K. because it’s a wizard name. 
15. Passmore, meaning “sailor, seafarer.” Most common in Devonshire. 
16. Quick, meaning “alive, lively, fresh, nimble, vigorous.” Appears to have been most common in Devonshire. 
17. Redditt, meaning “reed-bed.” Most common in Suffolk. 
18. Shade, meaning “boundary” or “shadow,” in the latter case perhaps referring to a very thin person. Most common in East Anglia. 
19. Stringfellow, meaning “worker at a string-hearth,” where iron is heated to be reworked. Originated in Yorkshire.
20. Warboys, from warder, “guard,” and bois, “wood.” Originated in Cambridgeshire. 

Irish â–²

1. Brazil, anglicization of Ó Breasail, meaning “strife.” Associated with Munster. 
2. Breathnach, meaning “Briton,” referring to a Welsh-speaking immigrant. 
3. Deady, anglicization of Ó Déadaigh, meaning “toothy.” Associated with Leinster. 
4. Fee, anglicization of Ó Fiaich, meaning “raven.” Associated with Ulster. 
5. Flood, anglicization of Ó Tuathail, from tuath, “people,” and val, “might, rule,” by way of erroneous association with tuile, “flood.” Associated with Leinster. 
6. Geddes, meaning “fish.” Associated with Ulster. 
7. Healy, anglicization of Ó hÉilidhe, perhaps meaning “claimant” or “learned, ingenious.” Associated with Munster. 
8. Heaven, anglicization of Ó hEimhín, meaning “swift; prompt, ready.” Associated with Munster. 
9. Lawler, anglicization of Ó Leathlobhair, meaning “somewhat leprous, fairly sick.” Associated with Leinster. 
10. McKey, anglicization of Mac Aoidh, meaning “fire.” Associated with Ulster. 
11. McMorrow, anglicization of Mac Muireadhaigh, meaning “seafarer,” or Mac Muireadhaigh, “sea warrior.” Usually anglicized as McMurrough in Leinster, and Murphy in Ulster. 
12. Moriarty, anglicization of Ó Muircheartaigh, meaning “navigator, sea worthy.” Associated with Munster. 
13. Nevin, anglicization of Ó Cnáimhín, meaning “little bone,” referring to thinness, or Mac Naoimhín, “little saint.” Associated with Leinster. 
14. Noonan, anglicization of Ó Nuanáin, meaning “beloved, dear.” Associated with Munster. 
15. O’Gormley, anglicization of Ó Gormghaile, from gorm, “noble, dark blue,” and gal, “valor.” Associated with Ulster. 
16. Power, derived from Pohier, Poer, meaning “from Pays de Poix.” Associated with Munster, though it’s extremely widespread in Ireland. 
17. Rabbitte, meaning “hound, wolf,” an anglicization of Ó Coinín by way of erroneous association with coinín, “rabbit,” rather than cano, a diminutive of “wolf.” Associated with Connacht. 
18. Seery, anglicization of Ó Saoraidhe, meaning “generous, noble.” Associated with Leinster. 
19. Sharkey, anglicization of Ó Searcaigh, meaning “beloved.” Associated with Connacht. 
20. Talley, anglicization of Ó Taithligh, meaning “peaceable.” Rare, with no apparent source or associated province. 

Scottish â–²

1. Banes, meaning “baths.” 
2. Blackwood, meaning “black wood.” See “Wood” in Canonical Families
3. Clinkscales, from clinc, “slope,” and scale, “rock.” 
4. Cockburn, meaning “rooster stream.” 
5. Forsyte, an anglicization of Fearsithe, “man of peace.” 
6. Gall, meaning “foreigner, stranger.” 
7. Greenlaw, meaning “green hill.” 
8. Hood, meaning “maker of hoods” or “hood-shaped hill.” 
9. Kinghorn, from ceann, “head, height,” and gronna, “bog.”
10. Laughland, meaning “lake land.” 
11. Maitland, meaning “inhospitable; bad disposition,” referring to unproductive soil (as a place) or an ill-tempered person. 
12. McBroom, an anglicization of Mac a' Bhreitheamhan, meaning “judge.” 
13. McFee, an anglicization of Mac Dhuibhshíthe, “black peace.” 
14. Pennycook, meaning “cuckoo summit.” 
15. Porteous, meaning “portable breviary, prayer book; something carried out of doors.” 
16. Reach, meaning “brindled, grayish.” 
17. Ripper, meaning “reaper, harvester.” 
18. Shankland, meaning “land marked by hillspurs.” FamilySearch says that it probably refers to a “lost or unidentified place,” perhaps a magical settlement removed from Muggle records after the Statute of Secrecy. 
19. Smiley, meaning “narrow (or thin) woodland clearing.” Smellie is a related variant. 
20. Whitelaw, meaning “white hill.”

Welsh â–²

1. Breeze, anglicization of ab Rhys via Preece, meaning “ardor, enthusiasm.” 
2. Cadwallader, meaning “battle-leader.” 
3. Conway, anglicization of Conwy, meaning “chief (or foremost) water.”
4. Days, from a pet form of Dafydd, a Welsh variant of David, meaning “beloved” or “uncle.” 
5. Dee, anglicization of Du, meaning “black.”
6. Glasscock, meaning “green wood.” 
7. Guild, an anglicization of Gwyllt, meaning “wild.”
8. Idle, from the personal name Ithael, meaning “bountiful lord.”
9. Kidwell, perhaps meaning “fish weir.” 
10. March, meaning “boundary,” generally referring to the Welsh Marches on the border with England. 
11. Merrix, from a patronym of Maurice (Meurig), ultimately meaning “North African, Moorish.” 
12. Onions, anglicization of a patronym of Einion, meaning “anvils.”
13. Penderghast, possibly meaning “oak tree frequented by dogs.”
14. Price, anglicization of ap Rhys, meaning “rash, impetuous.”
15. Prothero, an anglicization of ap Rhydderch, meaning “great seer, most high.” 
16. Saise, meaning “Englishman.” 
17. Tudor, from a patronym of Theodore (Tewdr), meaning “God’s gift.” 
18. Upjohn, meaning “son of John.” 
19. Wogan, meaning “glory, honor.”
20. Wynne, meaning “friend.”