Search articles

Goodall Name Meaning
English (mainly Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire):: metonymic occupational name from Middle English god(e) ‘good’ + ale ‘ale’; perhaps denoting an innkeeper or tan ale taster. An ale taster was a manorial or borough court official appointed to regulate the quality of ale sold by inns and alewives especially with the duty of preventing the sale of sour or watered-down ale. alternatively it may be a habitational name from Gowdall near Snaith in Yorkshire. This place was named in Old English with golde ‘marigold’ + halh ‘nook recess’.
Source:
Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
Similar surnames:
Woodall, Foxall, Gornall, Dowdall, Good, Gorrell, Goodsell, Goodwill
From: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/learn/facts

Ridsdale Name Meaning
Probably from Redesdale rather than from Ridsdale (both Northumb). Redesdale is recorded as Redesdale in 1075 and Riddesdale in 1203 and derives from the river-name Rede (genitive Redes itself from Old English rēad ‘red’) + Old Scandinavian dalr ‘valley’.
Source:
The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016
Similar surnames:
Dinsdale, Ragsdale, Dimsdale, Riddle, Hinsdale, Tisdale, Riddell
From: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/learn/facts

Bolton Name Meaning
English: habitational name from any of numerous places in northern England named Bolton (Lancashire Northumberland Westmorland and Yorkshire) or from Boulton in Derbyshire and East Lothian in Scotland from Old English bothl ‘dwelling house’ (see Bold ) + tūn ‘enclosure settlement’.
Source:
Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
Similar surnames:
Colton, Holton, Bilton, Tolton, Belton, Booton, Banton, Milton
From: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/learn/facts

Bingley Name Meaning
English: habitational name from Bingley in Yorkshire recorded in Domesday Book as Bingelei from the Old English personal name Bynna + -inga ‘of the people of’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’ or alternatively Old English bing ‘hollow’ + -inga + lēah.
Source:
Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
Similar surnames:
Dingley, Tingley, Lindley, Bickley, Kinsley, Brinkley, Binkley, Ingle
From: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/learn/facts

Arnold Name Meaning
English Scottish German Dutch French (mainly Alsace and Lorraine) Hungarian Czech Slovak Polish Croatian and Slovenian: from the ancient Germanic personal name Arnwald (Middle English Arnold Old French Arnaut) composed of the elements arn ‘eagle’ + wald ‘rule power’. This name was introduced to Britain by the Normans. English: habitational name from either of two places called Arnold in Nottinghamshire and East Yorkshire from Old English earn ‘eagle’ + halh ‘nook’. Jewish (Ashkenazic): adoption of the German personal name (see 1 above) at least in part on account of its resemblance to the Jewish name Aaron .
Source:
Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
From: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/learn/facts

Barran Name Meaning
English (Yorkshire): possibly a nickname from Middle English bar(r)ain bar(r)en baran ‘barren’ (Old French barain baraigne). As a hereditary surname the sense ‘destitute poor worthless’ seems more likely than ‘sterile childless’. Galician (Barrán): habitational name from any of the three places so called in Ourense province (Galicia Spain). This surname is also found in Biscay (Basque Country). Americanized form of Polish Czech or other Slavic Baran .
Source:
Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
Similar surnames:
Barra, Barron, Baran, Farran, Barras, Barman, Barkan, Parran, Barrand
From: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/learn/facts

Bowers Name Meaning
The surname Bowers is of Saxon origin, derived from the word 'bur' meaning 'a chamber; a cottage; a shady recess'. Adding 'er' to the end of topographical terms was common in south east England. An alternative origin is "a maker of bows".
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowers_(surname)
Similar surnames:
Bowens, Boyers, Powers, Mowers, Dowers, Bower, Boyer, Bowdry, Fowers

General repository for Felliscliffe Chapel-of-Ease photos used in Preserving Our Past

Ellis Name Meaning
English: from the Middle English personal name Elis an Old French vernacular form of Elias the Latin and New Testament Greek form of Hebrew Eliyahu; see Elijah and compare Elias Lias Ely . This surname is also common among African Americans. English: possibly in some instances from the Middle English female personal name Elice a pet form of Elizabeth . Welsh: from Elis a shortened form of the Welsh personal name Elisse (earlier Elisedd a derivative of elus ‘kindly benevolent’). As usual in Welsh the stress in Elisse is on the penultimate syllable -li- which shifts to initial El- when the name is shortened to Elis. It later became confused with Ellis in 1 above. Americanized form of some original Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname (most likely based on Yiddish form of the Biblical personal name Elijah).
Source:
Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
Similar surnames:
Allis, Mellis, Bellis, Bellin, Valis, Elles, Kellis, Tillis, Wells
From: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/learn/facts