Dictionary of English Surnames (Oxford Paperback Reference)
EUR 9,82
The standard work on the subject - The introduction alone is worth the price of the book through its clear explanations of the four main groups of surnames: local surnames, surnames of relationships, occupational surnames, and nicknames. Brief pages about regional surname patterns are also enlightening.The meat of the book is the alphabetical listing of some 16,000 English surnames, their variations, probable origins, and notes on early occurrences in the written records.The cross-referencing between variant spellings is excellent and makes for easy navigation between variants.A first rate resource for English genealogy and local history.
Goes far beyond Smith! - This book is so detailed in the origion of English Surnames, I never feel lost when I m trying to place a character in a certain time period. Also, to call it only English Surnames is a bit misleading since England is made of of those who conquered and invaded it or that they conquered themselves. There are Surnames that decend from Norway (Vikings), Germany, France, not to mention Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man.