How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps

I spent a couple of hours last night idly checking on how common our family surnames are.
I thought I would put it up here for Accyweb members to have a look at.
It might hold some interest for those who are researching their family tree...or are thinking about doing so.
Hope you enjoy it.

re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Apparently,my surname features at #207 and 2.3million other folk also share the name.....common as muck us Jones's ;)

re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

There are over 7 billion people in the world and with 697 people sharing my surname, that really does make me one in a million.http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/ye...y-emoticon.gif

Edit: miscounted the zeros, it`s one in ten million.

re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

If I spelled my surname Conwaay instead of Conway, I would be extinct.

re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

if the USA had put binladin into this site they could have found him in seconds

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I've just searched for my late wife's maiden name and there is nobody shown with that name in Lancashire. I know at least ten people with the same name in Accrington.

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78,789 share mine making it 6,869 most common, nowt new yon then.:D

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The highest concentration of Slaters is in St. Vincent and the Grenadines:eek:

Maybe, next winter, instead of freezing my ass of in Canada, I should go visit my relatives.:D

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Tax havens,eh? Rich family.
I see now how you can run a Cadillac!

A concentration of Booths in the Isle of man. Viking country?
I wondered why I had horns growing out of my head!

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

I hope it's your Viking ancestry ... there are other reasons for "wearing the horns":D

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Had to look that up.
It's a wise child who knows its own father.;)

The other meaning is interesting- what a boring life I've led.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

2,110th most common surname in the world...Approximately 258,316 people bear this surname

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

I don't know about mine as it is common in Ramsgate where my dad came from.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Or, as those Roman dudes used to say: Pater semper incertus est." Feel free to correct my Latin.:D

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Me too Gordon.....I have led a sheltered life.

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As if we would!!

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

I did, just for chance he'd had a subtle play around with the words.
Incertus doesn't mean what I thought it did.
In fact I'd have translated it totally differently, but still applicable!

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Eric, interesting re the Slater name. My husband's maternal family were Slaters (mainly from Great Harwood, Clayton-le-Moors and Oswaldtwistle). Good stock!

By the way, one of his great-uncles (Harold Slater), born 1894, emigrated to Canada.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

I think this is a very interesting subject. The thread would be improved if posters would say which particular name they have been looking for
Gordon - a booth is a township |(?) - eg Crawshawbooth.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Well, mine is obvious as I do not use a nickname.....but I also looked for Buckley,Ashton. Blenkiron, Duxbury, and other family names.
I spent a good couple of hours because the site is linked to other genealogy sites.......which are interesting.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Interesting site thanks only 500 and odd with my name !!

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I enjoyed looking up my surname. Only 935 world wide....then I looked up my maiden name ha ha there were well over 4 million Smiths.. My dad always said it wasn't common it was popular though.

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Margaret, I think I did once mention that Pilkington came into my husband’s family some years ago (through marriage), well so does Duxbury. Elizabeth Ann married James Henry Aspinall and they were great-grandparents of my other half.

Surnames are very interesting but I didn't realise how many surnames come into one family until I started to do family research. The further you go back and the more there are of course.

A very interesting topic. One name in my family background (Scott) apparently has 778,347 people worldwide with that name.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

I am glad to see so many people have shown interest in this thread...I thought it might just 'bomb'.
Dotti, my dad was James Henry Duxbury....my grandmother was Sarah Elizabeth Lee(or Leigh not sure of the spelling.)
My Grandma on Ma's side was Blenkiron......I traced the Blenkirons to Horncastle in Lincolnshire....bur I think the name has some Dutch South African connections.
I find the whole genealogical stuff really interesting, but a bit mind boggling too.
I did some research on the family tree a good while ago and it was very addictive.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Bob,don't be a spoilsport. I knew that!

But my research proves my ancestor sailed from the Isle of Man in his longship, up the River Ribble, looting, pillaging and raping as he went(those were the days). Stopping every now and again to bury his treasure when it got too heavy(they found some a while ago, I thought of claiming it).
Up the Hodder and Calder, when they got to the River Stink they had to get out and walk(didn't want to get their longship dirty).
Conquered Crawshaw, called it Crawshawbooth in honour of my ancestor, marched on to the Oak Ringed Town. Looted,pillaged(wouldn't be worth bothering today) but thought it so beautiful they settled there. That was before you had Labour and Tory councils of course, today they'd quickly move on.
As Margaret says, genealogical research is very interesting.

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Margaret, I have traced the Duxbury part of my husband’s family back to Ralph Duxbury, born 1696 and his wife Mary (nee Chadwick). They lived in Waterside, Colne. Maybe there is some connection along the way between your dad and this family, although I think there are a number of Duxburys, so maybe not. It would be nice to think so though.

I agree that searching family history is all a bit mind boggling at times but so very interesting, takes a lot of time and a fair bit of ‘detective’ work. It certainly is addictive. Can be very frustrating but also very rewarding when things come together.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Not much into the ancestry thing; but I do know that my grandad, John Thomas "Jack" Slater, who was born in 1896, was one of 11 children ... all boys. He was the youngest by the way. The only one I knew was my great uncle Matthew. He was from Ossy ... think he was some sort of Baptist preacher.:eek:

My father's two brothers, Frank, from Hapton, and Fred (very creative with names was Jack Slater;), both emigrated to Australia in '56. I'm sure of the year because the Suez canal was closed and their P&O liner had a long trip.:D I believe Frank settled in some place called Tea Tree Gully. Fred I don't know about. He was the black sheep of the family ... gave me my first fag.:D

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Thanks for the link Margaret - very interesting
5468 of us O'Mara's apparently with the bulk being in the US, Australia & England - only 595 in Ireland, thought that would have been higher but seeing as it's only the 80,235th most common name perhaps not surprising??

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

My Surname is Kenyon, which originated from the Hamlet of Kenyon which is just outside Manchester.
When I was travelling around the World during my career, I started looking up “Kenyon” in the telephone books of the various cities that I was in. I can tell you that there are Kenyons in every major City in the World.

Cheers

Philip Kenyon

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

I traced both our families, both sides, back to the 1850's, gets difficult as it spreads out.
When I got my new PC it didn't transfer across, told I might recover it but never tried. I certainly don't fancy starting from scratch again.
Interesting the curious bits of history you pick up. The woman who had two girls within a year and a half, both with the same name. Check Deaths- the first one died just a couple of months old. Sad.
The very proper Victorian lady who had several children but the first one was christened with her maiden name?? Bet that caused a stir but it didn't stop her getting married!

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

The Lancashire Family History Society's website home p[age has a turquoise block on it. Click onto this to ask if members of the society are interested in your name - One is really heavy into Duxburys. You can contact those named through the society There is a local branch, which meets in Accrington library, AND their library/work room is in The Straits,. Ossie, where you will be welcomed each Thursday afternoon AND on the first Saturday of the month. In September there will be a big family history fair in Blackburn.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Mine is not so common, Varrechia. But my grans maiden name was Ormerod which I believe was from around these parts.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Your Slater uncles came out here the year before us, Eric. We did travel through the Suez Canal in December 1957 – I think it had only been re-opened a short time. Tea Tree Gully is just up the road from here.

Have to say the ancestry thing can turn up some surprises and more than a few puzzles that can’t always be answered.

Seeing the different names being put forward on this thread I’m beginning to think that him indoors is possibly related, or at least connected through the same surname, to several (or more) members of Accrington Web. By the way Alan, not to your Varrechia name but to Ormerod yes!

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

Mine's 19,379th most common, approx 26,868 people bear my surname.

Re: How Common Is Your Surname?
 

wasn't that bad for either of our names