The Surnames of Some of My Ancestors

I. Paternal Line

Hendrix, Miller, Favors, Cannon, Kelley, Downs, McMasters, Dickey, Ross, Foust, Carter, Arrington, Beals, Hunt, Johnson, Whipple, Cook, Clayton, Bowater, Woolman, Borton, Edge, Miller, Henderson, Lansdale, Hobson, Cann, Beck, Ennis, Weaver, Camp, Daniels, Brasseur, Tarpley, Marshall, Starling, Barron, Sherwood, Biddlecombe, McAnally, Vann, Skelton, Rutledge, Harrison, Burroughs, McKinney, Lyles, Lemley, Kennamer, Streval, Giddens, Ketcham, McNeely, Phillips, Kinnison, Albrecht, Wilson, Kivett, Lewis, Reed, Coker, Bullard

II. Maternal Line

Westlake, Haines, Miller, Wells, Powers, Knouff, Allen, Howland, Lippincott, Wills, Ellis, Adams, Smith, Reed, Dynes, Cole, Sharp, Ballinger, Jones, Elkington, Wodhull, Chetwode, Plantagenet, Pritchard, Beals, Woolman, Clayton, Bowater, Hughes, Paine, Prickett, Troth, Field, Williams, Hunt, Matlack, Hancock, Swift, Reynolds, Barker, Hodges, Harney, Rumsey, McElwaine, Flournoy, Knapp, Holmes, Slauson, Ferris, Harding, Humphries, Millay, Keel, Trussell, Greene, Hall, Newenham, Etwell, Foxcote, Lyons, Drayton, Callaway, Wade, Mainwaring

A Word About Surnames

The following information about the origin and meanings of surnames was taken from Origin of Surnames by Kathi Reid (http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin) and Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations by C. Bardsley:

I. Patronymic, or those surnames derived from the first name of a male ancestor are probably the most common (e.g. Adams, Allen, Daniel, Ellis, Hendrix, McAnally, O'Brien, Williams)

II. Those surnames associated with one's family living near a particular place or location (e.g. Camp, Downs, Hill, Howland, Rumsey, Rutledge, Westlake, Woodhall)

III. Those surnames which refer to the occupation or social status of one's ancestor (e.g. Butler, Carter, Marshall, Miller, Sheppard, Smith, Woolman)

IV. Nicknames which describe an ancestor's physical appearance or personality (e.g. Little, Sharp)

 It should also be noted that the use and spelling of surnames has evolved over many centuries. Hence, the way that a particular surname appears in our day and age is probably not the way that it appeared at any given time in the past. Many of our ancestors were illiterate or only semi-literate, which only added to the variability and uniqueness of their family names. In fact, members of the same family often arrived at very different versions of the same surname. In most cases, spellings were not settled until the Late Nineteenth or Early Twentieth Centuries.

European surnames often contain clues in their prefixes and suffixes as to the family's place of origin. For instance, an O', Mc or Mac indicates a Celtic place of origin (Ireland/Scotland), and the prefix means the "son/descendant of." Likewise, the suffix son, sen, datter, dotter or dottir indicates a Scandinavian heritage (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), and means the "son/daughter of." In former times, the prefix "Fitz" was often used to denote the same thing in English. The prefix d' or di' points to the same thing in Italian. The suffix Van indicates a Dutch background and means "from/of."  A "ck" or "ch" attached to the end of a name might indicate a Germanic background. In other words, surnames are like other words among the languages of the earth - they often include lettering or components that give clues about the language and country where they were originally used. However, in this connection, it should also be noted that powerful incentives existed for immigrants to the United States to assimilate into the culture of their new country. Hence, many of them quickly "Anglicized" their family names to blend in better with their neighbors.