The Surnames of Wales – New Updated & Expanded Edition Available

The-SurnamesofWales2ndEdition-300pw

Having been raised just a short distance from the Washington State coal mining communities of Carbonado, and Wilkeson, I’ve done my share of research on families with Welsh ancestry over the years. I found out long ago that typical migration patterns for many of these families was from Wales to Pennsylvania, then on to Pierce and King County, Washington, where many of the men worked in the coal mines. The mines here were “gassy” and many Welsh miners lost their lives in mine explosions. A new resource has just come available for those doing research on their people from Wales. The Surnames of Wales – Updated & Expanded, was written by John & Sheila Rowlands and is now shipping.

The updated and expanded edition of The Surnames of Wales book provides the reader with detailed insight into the origins and occurrence of common Welsh surnames, together with some consideration of those surnames that are associated with particular locales, thus helping to suggest a likely place of origin within Wales. The opening chapters of the book give a historical overview of Welsh names, dealing, in particular, with the patronymic naming system and the gradual adoption of surnames. The central chapters include a comprehensive survey of Welsh surnames and an all-important glossary of surnames. This is the core of the work, as it provides the origins and history of surnames from the viewpoint of family history, and also shows the distribution and incidence of surnames throughout Wales. The final chapters cover such items as the distribution of surnames derived from the ap prefix, the incidence of surnames derived from Old Testament names, and surname evidence for the presence of people of Welsh origin in populations outside Wales. Nearly forty maps, drawn by the authors, show the incidence and distribution of typical surnames throughout Wales.

This edition of The Surnames of Wales contains four new chapters and several updated and expanded chapters, with information deriving from a survey involving more than 270,000 surnames found in parish records throughout Wales. Among the many new features is an exhaustive study of how Welsh patronymics changed to settled surnames, an analysis of surname distribution, an expansion of the all-important glossary of Welsh surnames, and a groundbreaking survey and glossary of Welsh given games, a very important addition to the text because the geographical distribution of given names can provide clues to the origins of early surnames. This edition of The Surnames of Wales is an indispensable reference work for family historians with Welsh ancestry.

The following is from the Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Welsh Surnames and Their Origins

Chapter 3: Early Surnames

Chapter 4: Patronymic Name – a Survey of Transition

Chapter 5: A Survey of Surnames

Chapter 6: Other Work on Distribution

Chapter 7: Glossary of Surnames

Chapter 8: A Survey of Given Names

Chapter 9: Glossary of Given Names

Chapter 10: Further Uses of the Surveys

Chapter 11: Migration, Emigration and Place of Origin

References and Select Bibliography

Appendix A: Parishes by Hundreds within Counties

Appendix B: Old Testament, AP and Adjectival Names

Appendix C: Local Transition

Appendix D: Predicting Origins

Subject Index

Index of Names

A Glossary of Surnames makes up Chapter 7. Following a standard pattern, first, a short historical and linguistic paragraph is found for each name. Any indication of the existence of earlier work on the family is often given, with reference made to the work. A summary of sources is often given. Places where the family name is found, along with percentage of incidence are listed.

Order The Surnames of Wales – Updated & Expanded by John & Sheila Rowlands at the FRPC website

The following surnames are included with details:

  • Ace
  • Adams
  • Ajax
  • Alban
  • Allen
  • Andrew
  • Anthony
  • Anwyl
  • Arthur
  • Ashton
  • Astley
  • Augustus
  • Austin
  • Awbrey
  • Badland
  • Bamford
  • Baskerville
  • Bateman
  • Baugh
  • Bebb
  • Beedle
  • Belth
  • Benbow
  • Bengough
  • Benjamin
  • Bennett
  • Bevan
  • Beynon
  • Bidder
  • Blackwell
  • Blayney
  • Bonner
  • Bonsall
  • Boulter
  • Bound
  • Bowdler
  • Bowen
  • Brace
  • Breese
  • Brigstocke
  • Brooks
  • Brown
  • Brunt
  • Bufton
  • Bulkeley
  • Button
  • Caddock
  • Cadogen
  • Cadwalader
  • Canton
  • Charles
  • Christmas
  • Clayton
  • Clement
  • Clocker
  • Cole
  • Connah
  • Coslett
  • Craddock
  • Crowther
  • Crunn
  • Cunnick
  • Daniel
  • David
  • Davies
  • Dawkins
  • Deere
  • Devonald
  • Dodd
  • Edmunds
  • Edwards
  • Elias
  • Ellis
  • Emanual
  • Enoch
  • Ephraim
  • Esau
  • Evans
  • Eynon
  • Faithful
  • Felix
  • Fenna
  • Folland
  • Foulkes
  • Francis
  • Gabriel
  • Games
  • Gammon
  • Gedrych
  • George
  • Gethin
  • Gibbs
  • Gittins, Gittoes
  • Goodwin
  • Gough
  • Gravenor
  • Griffiths
  • Gronow
  • Gunter
  • Gwalchmai
  • Gwenlan
  • Gwilt
  • Gwynne
  • Gwyther
  • Haines
  • Hall
  • Hamer
  • Harries, Harris
  • Harry
  • Hatfield
  • Havard
  • Heilyn
  • Henry
  • Herbert
  • Hire
  • Hoddinott
  • Hooson
  • Hopkins
  • Hoskins
  • Howe
  • Howells
  • Hughes
  • Hullin
  • Humphreys
  • Husband
  • Hussey
  • Isaac
  • Ithell
  • Jacob
  • James
  • Jarman
  • Jasper
  • Jeffreys
  • Jehu
  • Jenkins
  • Jervis
  • Job
  • John
  • Jones
  • Joseph
  • Joshua
  • Kendrick
  • Kinsey
  • Kneath
  • Knethell
  • Kyffin
  • Landeg
  • Laugharne
  • Lewis
  • Leyshon
  • Llewelyn
  • Lloyd
  • LLywarch
  • Lodwick
  • Lougher
  • Lucas
  • Lumley
  • Mabe
  • Maddocks
  • Mason
  • Mathias
  • Matthews
  • Mayberry
  • Melchior
  • Medus
  • Meredith
  • Meyler
  • Meyrick
  • Michael
  • Miles
  • Mills
  • Morgan
  • Morris
  • Morse
  • Mortimer
  • Mostyn
  • Nanney
  • Narberth
  • Nash
  • Nekrews
  • Nevett
  • Newell
  • Nicholas
  • Nock
  • Nuttall
  • Oliver
  • Owen
  • Parker
  • Parry
  • Pask
  • Peate
  • Peregrine
  • Perkins
  • Peters
  • Phillips
  • Picton
  • Powell
  • Powis
  • Price
  • Pritchard
  • Probert
  • Probyn
  • Profit
  • Prosser
  • Prothero
  • Pugh
  • Rees
  • Reynolds
  • Rhydderch
  • Richards
  • Roberts
  • Roblin
  • Roch
  • Roderick
  • Rogers
  • Rosser
  • Rowe
  • Rowlands
  • Salathiel
  • Salmon
  • Salusbury
  • Sambrook
  • Samuel
  • Savage
  • Sayce
  • Sheen
  • Sheldon
  • Skyrme
  • Snith
  • Smouth
  • Stephens
  • Stradling
  • Swancott
  • Tannatt
  • Taylor
  • Teague
  • Tew
  • Thomas
  • Tibbot
  • Timothy
  • Trenarne
  • Trevor
  • Trewent
  • Trow
  • Tucker
  • Tudor
  • Turner
  • Vaughan
  • Vipond
  • Voyle
  • Walbeoff
  • Walters
  • Warlow
  • Warren
  • Wathen
  • Watkins
  • Watts
  • Weal
  • Weaver
  • Whittal
  • Wigley
  • Wild
  • Wilding
  • Williams
  • Woosencraft
  • Woosnam
  • Worthing
  • Wynn
  • Yorath
  • Young

The Surnames of Wales – Updated & Expanded; by John & Sheila Rowlands; Paperback; 6×9; 344 pp; 2014; ISBN: 9780806319971; Item #: GPC5033; at the FRPC website

About Leland Meitzler

Leland K. Meitzler founded Heritage Quest in 1985, and has worked as Managing Editor of both Heritage Quest Magazine and The Genealogical Helper. He currently operates Family Roots Publishing Company (www.FamilyRootsPublishing.com), writes daily at GenealogyBlog.com, writes the weekly Genealogy Newsline, conducts the annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour to the Family History Library, and speaks nationally, having given over 2000 lectures since 1983.

One Reply to “The Surnames of Wales – New Updated & Expanded Edition Available”

  1. Surnames of Wales:
    The list above only lists DAVID and DAVIES, but what about DYFFD, DAVIE, and DAVIS?

    Maybe there was some time period limitation. I saw all these in about 1980 in the Glamorgan phone book. I just checked the internet and maybe DYFFD is now DYFED since I can’t find DYFFD.
    Peace,
    Jim

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