100 Victorian Last Names With Meanings And History
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Why Victorian Last Names?
Victorian surnames have a sense of royal legacy. It is believed that they evolved from a practice called 'by-name' which used to reflect one's trade and locality in the name.
People have long believed that the newly developed surnames are rooted in Victorian-era surnames.
One of the major reasons for the transfer of these surnames is the migration of families from one place to another. Most of the English people who settled in Ireland did not know the Gaelic language.
This caused alterations in the spellings of Victorian last names and gave them the form that we know today. Because victorian last names were used to reflect the occupation of the people, they also became a status symbol.
Victorian middle names have a unique history. Along with surnames, Victorians also got their mother's maiden name.
The people at that time also used some of these last names as the first name of their children.
This gives you the liberty of choosing the Victorian last names listed below to name a lot of characters in plays and movies because the name fits a wide range of personalities. Victorian last names have also been associated with good luck and positivity, and as a result, inspire people to name their children and loved ones such names.
Fancy Victorian Last Names
1. Acker (English Origin) - Derived from the Old English word 'æcer' meaning 'field'.
2. Anderton (Old English Origin) - Derived from Old English words meaning 'Eanred's town'.
3. Barney (Old English Origin) - Means 'barley island' or 'a barn'.
4. Beckwith (Old English Origin) - A fancy surname derived from the village of Beckwith, in the Nidd Valley, near Harrogate.
5. Berrycloth (English Origin) - It comes from the Old English 'beara' (grove) and 'cloh' (ravine).
6. Birdwhistle (Old English Origin) - Meaning 'a fork or junction on a river where birds nest', derived from the pre-seventh century term 'bridd – twissel'.
7. Browning (English Origin) - Derived from the Old English word 'bruning', which was in common usage until the 14th century.
8. Camden (English Origin) - Named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden, who sold lots from his manor.
9. Churchill (English Origin) - The last name goes back to pre-seventh century Old English words 'cyrice' (church) and 'hyll' (hill), giving it the meaning 'the church on the hill'.
10. Clayden (English Origin) - Variation of the last name Claydon based on the name of a place by the same name in various places in England like Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Suffolk.
11. Compton (Old English Origin) - Means a 'valley town' derived from the term 'Cumbtūn' where 'combe' means 'valley' and 'ton' means 'town'.
12. Culpepper (Middle English Origin) - Meaning 'spice gatherer' where 'cul' means to 'gather'.
13. Dankworth (Old English Origin) - Derived from two terms meaning 'Tancred's farmstead'.
14. Darlington (English Origin) - Means 'the settlement of the people of Deornoth'.
15. Davenport (Old English Origin) - Last name for people from the port in River Dane, actually comes from the word 'Devennport'.
16. Deighton (English Origin) - Coming from the Old English terms 'dīc' (ditch dike) and 'tūn' (settlement enclosure), it is a habitational name after the many places in Yorkshire that go by the same name.
17. Dryden (Old English Origin) - Taken from the words 'drȳġe' (dry) and 'denu' (valley).
18. Eastaughffe (English Origin) - Means an 'eastern town' or 'homestead'.
19. Eaton (Old English Origin) - Derived from the word 'Eatun', meaning 'homestead by an island' or 'a river'.
20. Elton (Old English Origin) - The Old English word meaning 'Ella's town'.
21. Enfield (Old English Origin) - Last name is made up of two halves: 'ēan' (lamb) and 'field' (open field).
22. Everly (English Origin) - Derived from the word meaning 'wild boar' and 'woodland clearing'.
23. Gastrell (Old English Origin) - Taken from the last name of the infamous Rev. Francis Gastrell.
24. Garfield (English Origin) - An English surname meaning 'spear field'.
25. Graham (Scottish Origin) - Last name based on the town of Gratham.
26. Hastings (English Origin) - Taken from the Old English tribal name 'Hæstingas' (Hæsta's people, the family or followers of Hæsta), which later became the name of their settlement.
27. Loughty (Old English Origin) - Taken from the name of a village in Tayside.
28. Macca (Old English Origin) - Means the 'son'.
29. MacQuoid (Scottish Origin) - Affiliated with the people belonging to the MacKay clan, firs found in northern Scotland.
30. Pussett (English Origin) - Affectionately applies to a little ‘minx’ of a girl.
31. Slora (Gaelic Origin) - Refers to the leader of a clan, maybe a derivation from the Gaelic word 'sluagdach'.
32. Spinster (Old English Origin) - Derived from 'spinnan' meaning 'to spin thread'.
33. Tumbler (Old English Origin) - An acrobat or acrobatic dancer recruited to a nobleman’s court.
Rare Victorian Last Names
34. Abram (Old English Origin) - Derived from Abraham a prophet in the Old Testament.
35. Ajax (English Origin) - Probably the last name was brought by Huguenot refugees who came from France.
36. Bread (Old English Origin) - Occupational last name for bakers derived from 'bregdan'.
37. Bythesea (English Origin) - Pronounced as Bithersee given to the people living near a sea, typically indoor lakes or pools.
38. Bytheseashore (English Origin) - Another last name similar to Bythesea.
39. Cotton (Old English Origin) - Means a 'cotton farmstead'.
40. Edevane (Old English Origin) - ‘Ead’ means 'prosperity or happiness'.
41. Farley (English Origin) - Victorian-era last name meaning 'fern woodland' coming from the Old English 'fearn' (fern) and 'leah' (woodland clearing), which in turn was derived from the Latin 'farneus' (oak).
42. Fernsby (Old English Origin) - Derived from the old English words meaning 'fern farmstead'.
43. Miracle (Old English and Latin Origin) - Derived from the first name Mauritius meaning 'dark'.
44. Relish (Old French Origin) - Derived from 'relaisse' meaning 'flavor or taste'.
45. Villin (Old English Origin) - Refers to the commoners of a place.
Victorian Last Names Taken From Places
46. Ainsley (English Origin) - People coming from Nottinghamshire, Annesley, or Ansley in England. It is derived from words meaning 'hermitage' and 'clearing'.
47. Allerton (English Origin) - For people 'of Allerton', a parish five miles from Knaresborough, Yorkshire.
48. Altham (English Origin) Surname of residents from Altham in Lancashire, England. Altham was previously in the ancient parish of Whalley but is now in the Burrough of Hyndburn.
49. Anstey (English Origin) - People living in Anstey in Hertfordshire, the last name came to be in the 12th century.
50. Appleton (English Origin) - Surnames of people from a village currently in Oxfordshire, derived from 'æppeltūn' (orchard).
51. Ashley (English Origin) - Taken from the name of a village in England, derived from the Old English pre-seventh century 'aesc' meaning 'ash', and 'leah', meaning 'a wood or clearing'.
52. Astley (English Origin) - The name of a village in Chorley, Lancashire, comes from the Old English 'ēast' (east) and 'lēah' (woodland clearing).
53. Atterton (English Origin) - Derived from the name of the town of Atherton, historically in Lancashire, England.
54. Axton (English Origin) - A topographical last name of people living in Axton in Kent, England, the name refers to a town surrounded by Ash trees'.
55. Badger (English Origin) - Taken from the name of a village in Shropshire. It can also be an occupational last name meaning 'a hawker' or 'dealer of commodities'.
56. Barlow (English Origin) - Derived from the names of many villages in Northeastern England like in Lancashire and Yorkshire.
57. Barton (English Origin) - Village in Preston, Lancashire, England. Derived from Old English 'bere' or 'bær' (barley) and 'tūn' (enclosure settlement) which means 'an outlying grange'.
58. Bentham (English Origin) - Village in Badgeworth civil parish, primarily Bentham in Yorkshire or Gloucestershire in England; comes from Old English 'beonet' (bent grass) and 'hām' (homestead estate) or 'hamm' (enclosure hemmed in by water).
59. Bentley (English Origin) - After places chiefly in Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and East and South Yorkshire in England.
60. Berkeley (English Origin) - Named after Berkeley in Gloucestershire with the name derived from Old English 'be(o)rc' (birch) and 'lēah' (woodland clearing).
61. Blakely (English Origin) - A habitational name from Blackley, north of Manchester in Lancashire, or possibly from Blackley in Yorkshire. The surname is a compound of Old English 'blæc' and 'lēah', which mean 'black clearing'.
62. Blythe (English Origin) - Taken from one of the many places in England.
63. Bradley (English Origin) - Village in Cheshire, England meaning 'broad wood' or 'broad meadow'.
64. Bradshaw (English Origin) - Name first found in Lancashire at Bradshaw, now part of Greater Manchester, it comes from 'brad' (broad) and 'sceaga' (thicket).
65. Brenton (English Origin) - The last name given to the people living in Brenton near Exminster, Devon, south West England, with the original meaning being 'Bryni's homestead'.
66. Brixton (English Origin) - Taken from the name of a district of London.
67. Burton (English Origin) - A town in Leicestershire, England.
68. Byron (English Origin) - A habitational name from Byram, Yorkshire, derived from the Old English 'bȳrum' (at the cattle sheds).
69. Carlton (English Origin) - Village located in Bedford borough, Bedfordshire, derived from the Old English 'ceorl', meaning 'free man' and 'ton' meaning 'settlement'.
70. Chatham (English Origin) - Taken from a port's name on the River Medway in England. It is possibly related to people from Chatham in Kent or Chatham Green in Essex and is derived from Celtic 'cēd' (wood) and Old English 'hām' (homestead).
71. Chester (English Origin) - A city in northwest England.
72. Clare (Irish Origin) - Taken from the name of a county of Ireland, it is also related to Clare in Suffolk, which is an eastern county of England.
73. Colby (English Origin) - A place in Cumbria and Norfolk.
74. Colgate (English Origin) - A family name for people from a village in the Horsham district.
75. Clifford (English Origin) - A family last name for people residing in a place in Herefordshire.
76. Clinton (English Origin) - A family name taken from places named Glympton or Glinton.
77. Cornish (English Origin) - Pertaining to a county of southwest England by the name Cornwall.
78. Crawford (English Origin) - Taken from the name of an earldom in Scotland.
79. Dalton (English Origin) - A surname from any of the various places called Dalton in Westmorland, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, and Yorkshire.
80. Darby (English Origin) - Taken from the place called Derby in Britain.
81. Dayton (English Origin) - Taken from the name of a city in Texas.
82. Denholm (English Origin) - Named after many places in Canada and the UK.
83. Denver (English Origin) - Victorian-era last name taken from a town in Iowa.
84. Digby (English Origin) - One of the Victorian surnames taken from a suburb of Exeter's name.
85. Dudley (English Origin) - A town in England.
86. Easton (English Origin) - A place in West Berkshire district, Berkshire.
87. Emsworth (English Origin) - Named after a small coastal town in Havant borough, England.
88. England (English Origin) - Named after the country on the island of Great Britain.
89. Everleigh (English Origin) - Victorian-era surnames of people living in a place in England.
90. Hackney (English Origin) - Victorian-era last names of people from a town in eastern London.
91. Hadleigh (English Origin) - Victorian surnames derived from a market town name in England.
92. Haley (English Origin) - A surname of the person from any of several places in the US or Canada meaning 'hay clearing'.
93. Harlan (English Origin) - Victorian surnames from people who lived in the village of Horlands, that can be traced to numerous places around England, including Harland Edge in Derbyshire and Harland Wood in Sussex.
94. Hornsby (English Origin) - Surnames of people from a place in England.
95. Keene (English Origin) - Victorian surnames for people from a city in New Hampshire.
96. Langley (English Origin) - Village in the south of Langley Mill in Derbyshire.
97. Marston (English Origin) - A settlement in the North Warwickshire district in England.
98. Middleton (English Origin) - It comes from dozens of different settlements in England and is derived from the pre-seventh-century Old English variations of 'midel' (middle) and 'tun' (town).
99. Northcott (English Origin) - Surnames of people from a village in Devon, England.
100. Oakley (English Origin) - Surnames of people from Bedfordshire.
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Sources
https://victorian-era.org/victorian-era-last-names.html
https://www.geriwalton.com/surnames/
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.
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