Common Cornwall Historical Forenames and Surnames

The following are the most commonly used forenames and surnames in Cornwall. These were compiled from Cornwall baptism and BMD records.

Male Forenames

Female Forenames

Surnames

Personal names in the 10th century

List of Cornish surnames.

Old English child naming conventions.

Cornish Surnames

Many Cornish surnames derived from the ancient Cornish language. Cornish is the native language of Cornwall and was spoken in Cornwall until the 18th century. Cornish names are far more common in West Cornwall than East Cornwall. In the seventeenth century the vast majority of surnames in Cornwall were patronymic or derived from place names. In the 1327 lay subsidy 94% the of those with a place name surname lived in that place. When they moved to a different location they often changed their surname. Some common Cornish surname prefixes that are derived from place names:

• Car: from karn "tor" or ker "hill-fort"
• Lan: a religious enclosure
• Pen: a hill
• Rose: heath, moor
• Tre: a settlement or homestead

The Cornish continued to use the traditional patronymic naming system later than the rest of England. Children took the forename of the father. For example: John James, son of James Richards. Patronymic naming in Cornwall continued as late as 1522. The reason for the continued use was the local use of the Cornish language. As a result, patronymic surnames are relatively common in Cornwall.

The suffix "ow" or "a" was sometimes added to the surname to indicate "son of".

Other common surnames derived from occupations and nicknames.