| | Our Surnames Ba to Bi
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Ba to Bi Bl
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BAILS,
BAILES. Possibly the same as BAYLISS (q.v.) meaning Bailiff.
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BAILEY.
Probably derived from Bailiff, or possibly from the Lancashire town of
Bayley.
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BAIN. We have three possibilities for the origin of this name. It may be a
re-spelling of BA(Y)NE, i.e. “the bony one”, or may mean straight – see
BAINBRIDGE, or from the French bain, implying an owner or attendant at
public baths.
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BAINBRIDGE. Derived from the Wensleydale village of Bainbridge (SD935903),.where
the River Bain is bridged near to where it joins the Ure. The river name might
mean “straight” or “helpful”
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BAIRNSFATHER, BARNFATHER, BANFATHER. These names, believed to be the same, bear a striking resemblance to Old Norse and Danish
words describing paternity so the name may thus be
pre-Conquest. Present day members of the much extended family took part in a
Viking-DNA which has established a common ancestor. Perhaps the best known
BAIRNSFATHER of the 20th C. was Charles Bruce, the satirical
cartoonist who invented “Old Bill” during WW I. He
was born in India of Scottish parentage. (ONS) barnfather@one-name.org
(Mrs Lee Cognetta)
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BALMER. A
seller of Balms and Ointments.
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BANKS. Dweller on a hillside. The –s might
be short for –house, that is dweller in a house on a bank.
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BARDGETT. Thought to be a locational name for a "dweller at the castle (or
city) gate". This gate was known as a "bargate", from the Old
English "burggeat". Burkes General Armory lists BARDGETT (aka Burgett)
Arms as: "Argent a Castle Tripple Towered a Chain Extending in a Festoon
from the Extremities and Crossing the Portal all Proper". One of the
earliest known historical examples of the name is John Bargett, born in Lazonby,
Cumberland in 1544, although most family historians can reliably trace their
trees back to Edward BARDGETT who married Margaret Thompson in Lazonby on 7th
July 1641 and whose direct descendents are very active researchers. Most
BARDGETTs originated from Cumberland although a few examples appeared before
1600 in Berkshire. (ONS) bardgett@one-name.org
(Mr Colin Lindsay)
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BARKER. This can mean a shepherd, from the Old French word, which evolved
to the modern bergère, but is indistinguishable in Middle English from the word
for tanner (from tanners’ bark, I suppose!)
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BARNARD. From words
in both Old French and Old German meaning “bear-brave”, so could be either
Saxon or Norman. Either way it implies a warrior. Our BARNARDs were located in
Tynemouth in 1898.
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BARNES, BARNS. In the South of England, this
would be from the place-name Barnes, in Surrey. In the North, however, it might
have a similar derivation to BARNFATHER – see above, or the man from near the
barn, which is where the place-name comes from.
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BARNETT. This derives from “the burnt place”, typically Barnet in Herts.
There’s no reason why it should not be any other burnt place!
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BARRAS. Said to possibly be “dweller by the outwork of a fortress”. Or it
could be a trader or dealer, which seems more likely. However there may be a
connection with Barras Bridge, Newcastle, which survives hidden underground as
part of Newcastle's sewer system. The ancient bridge, carrying the main route
north over the Pandon Burn was rebuilt in stone and widened in 1819 then later
buried when the valley was filled in. This derivation of Barras probably comes
from `barrows', or burial mounds relating to the nearby leper hospital of Saint
Mary Magdalene.
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BARREN, BARRON. This can be a nickname – “The Baron” – as in John “The
Duke” Wayne or Elvis “The King” Presley. I like to think of us BARRONs
having style! However, it may also be a courtesy title for a small-time
landowner from Scotland, especially in the ancient Kingdom of Angus. A
possibility, since we also have a number of Anguses in the North Pennines. A
third possibility is that certain towns e.g. York, called their freemen Barons.
The Barron line in the North Pennines goes back continuously to John Barren and
Catheran Ruter married in Alston in 1731. Earlier then that, the surname crops
up in Carlisle and Lakeland back to the 1500s and a persistent rumour exists of
an ancient Irish origin. One explanation of this is that BARRONs are linked to
the FitzGerald clan, and the name comes from the title given to one the Norman
families invited with Strongbow over to support one side of an internal power
struggle in Ireland in the 11th/12th Century.
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BARRETT. This name baffles the experts. Derivations from ancient given names
seem to have died out early in the Middle Ages. There is a slight chance that it
may mean a hatter (from Old French barrette), but the most likely is from
the word barat which, with slight spelling differences, means “trade”
in Old French, and “fraud” or “distress” in Middle English. Put them
together and we get a dodgy dealer, I suppose! Our BARRETTs came to the North
from the Gwennap area of Cornwall; the mining connection, we assume.
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BARWICK. Synonymous with Berwick (Landranger Sheet 75), from the border town
which has alternated between England and Scotland throughout history. By the
way, and to the regret of the local Tourist Board, there is no foundation to the
urban myth that Berwick is still at war with Russia!
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BATEMAN. Said to be a typically Yorkshire name, meaning Bartholomew’s servant
– but see also under BATEY.
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BATESON. Bate’s or Batt’s son. Batt and Bate are said to be diminutives of
Bartholomew.
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BATEY, BATTY, BATY, BEATY. The standard explanation is that these names all
derive from Bartholomew, one way or another. As the verbal record is as
important as the written one, it is worthwhile considering an alternative
origin. The ay- or ea-sound might well be a diphthong: Bee-atty or Bay-atty, as
in “beatitude”. So could this be this a relic of an Old French, or even
Latin nickname? And is it a compliment or an insult? The modern French and
Italian (béat / beato) means either, “blessed and serene” or “having a
silly grin”. It rather depends upon whether the epithet was bestowed by a
saint or a soldier! A third possibility is that the name derives from a
huntsman’s assistant who, to this day and dependent upon the quarry, may bait,
beat or bate to lure, drive or subdue the game.
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Of the variants, BEATY is commonest north of the Border and at least one line of
BATEYs is known to have come to Alston Moor as miners and smallholders in the 18th
C
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BAYLES, BAYLIS. There can be two derivations, it seems; either from Bailiff or
from a dweller near the fortification (as in Motte and Bailey).
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BAYNE, BONE. Most likely a nickname, “the
bony one”, since bone is bane in Borders dialect.
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BEADLE. is taken from the name of the law officer. BIDDLE is one of the many
alternative spellings. There may be similar names driving from the town of
Bedale, so care is needed!
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BEADLING, BEADLAND, BEADLEN, BEADLAN. The original form is BEADLAND and as
“clusters” of the name occur in northern Co. Durham, and again around Holy
Island (Lindisfarne), it is attractive to believe that there is a connection
with the Venerable Bede, who spent most of his active life at Jarrow /
Monkwearmouth and had close association with Lindisfarne. Bedlington, NBL, (Landranger
Sheet 81, Grid Ref NZ 269818) has been the settlement of Beda's people since at
least 1050 and until 1844 was not part of Northumberland but curiously formed
part of the County Palatinate of Durham, belonging to the Prince Bishops
The town of Beadling in Pennsylvania was founded by two men of the BEADLING
family, miners from Gateshead, who went there in the early 1800s and
started their own coalmine. There is now an active BEADLING family association
throughout the USA.
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For followers of saints, see also HILDRETH, McBRIDE.
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BEALLY. Possibly the same as Beeley, which is a place-name in Essex,
Worcestershire or Derbyshire
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BEANY. A nickname for “pleasant” (bene),
recorded in Cumberland in the 12th C.
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BEATY. see BATEY. An alternative spelling, BEATTIE, is listed among the Reivers’
names (See Reivers).
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BEAUFORT. An old Norman name, which became part of English family history via
the sons of John of Gaunt and Catherine SWYNFORD (née ROET) and is taken from John’s castle of Beaufort in Anjou. John and
Catherine also had a daughter Joan, who married Ralph NEVILLE in 1396.
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BEAVEN. A possible alternative spelling to
BEVIN, deriving from “boire vin”. Early examples of the name are from the
south of England.
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BECKWITH. Said to come from Beckwith in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Nearest
match found, however is Beckwithshaw, near Harrogate. (Grid Ref:SE265527)
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BEE. Probably a
nickname for an industrious person.
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BEEBY. While the name derives from Beeby in
Leicestershire, a Richard BEBIE was a Freeman of York in 1596.
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BEELEY. This seems to be from a place-name, of which there are several. The
nearest is in Derbyshire.
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BELL. The number of our researchers on this name reflects how many BELLs there
are.
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This is a name with multiple sources, so not all BELL's are necessarily related,
nor were they all Reivers, although BELL is a Reivers’ name! (q.v.).
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Source 1 – Bel or
Belle, mediaeval (and modern) French: the good-looking one. Anyone we know?
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Source 2 – Child
of Isabel.
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Source 3 – The bellringer, or one
who lived at or near the church or curfew bell.
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Source 4 – One who lived at the
sign of the Bell. There are lots of Bell Inns to this day and, of course in pre-literate times, other businesses also used recognizable signs. A good logo is not a
modern invention!
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Source 5 – A
mistranscription of Beal, from the village on the Northumberland coast. (Landranger
Sheet 75,
Grid Ref. NU066427). Bit of an outside chance, as we have no Beals or Beales in our list!
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Source 6 – Some
BELLs are a sept of the clan MacMILLAN from the Argyll area, and recorded in
Dumfries
back in the 13th C. MacMILLAN (q.v.) derives from “bald or tonsured”. Bell and bald might, in
some Celtic-based dialects, be synonymous.
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At least two of our researchers have BELL
ancestors in Stanhope, DUR in the early 19th C.
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BELLERBY The village of Bellerby (Grid
Ref:SE117926) is in the North Riding of
Yorkshire, and people of that name are recorded back to the 13thC. The place
itself, a typical Scandinavian “–by” name means Belgr’s village. (ONS)
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BELLETT, BILLETT. The -ett ending implies a
diminutive, but a lot depends on which of the variants was the original. BELLETT
might mean either the little beauty, or Isabel’s little one. BILLETT, on the
other hand, which occurs in northern records a couple of times in the Middle
Ages, is probably a nickname for a woodcutter.
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BELSHAW. Synonymous with BELCHER which is a contraction of Bel(le) Chiere –
“Fair of Face” It crops up as a surname in York back to the 13th
C and even as a mode of address in the York Mystery Plays.
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BELT. Probably a maker of belts, shortened from BELTER or BELETER. Benedict le
Beleter was a Freeman of York in 1295.
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BENNETT. From the Latin benedictus, the blessed one.
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BENTLEY. Another place-name derivative, meaning a clearing with bent-grass, so
it occurs wherever this common grass grows. There are 3 or 4 Bentleys in
Yorkshire, so take your pick.
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BEST means beast, so a fierce ancestor might lurk somewhere in the family tree!
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BEWLEY. comes from the place-name synonymous with Beaulieu, meaning Beautiful
Place, of which there are several around the country. Bewley Castle in Cumbria (Landranger
Sheet 91, Grid Ref. NY648212) (A ruin, not open or accessible.) is a possible
source in a North Pennine context. Bewley Castle was built by Hugh de Beaulieu
between 1219 and 1223 when he was Bishop of Carlisle. It belonged to the
MUSGROVE family in the 16th C., some of whose less respectable
relatives were Reivers (q.v.)
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BEZAR. The name crops up in our area around Hexham and Warden, NBL in the 18th
C. and seems pretty widespread throughout the country.
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BIDDLE. See BEADLE.
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BINNEY. There are three possible derivations:
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1)
from an Old English personal name Bynni, with Yorkshire and Lancashire
references back to the 13th C
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2)
from a place-name, Binney in East Lothian. Not too far to travel during
border raids!
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3)
from “land enclosed by a stream” – which is typically Kentish and a
long way from the North Pennines.
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BIRBECK, BIRKBECK. There were Freemen of York
with this surname, which derives from the Birkbeck Fells in Westmorland. The
name means “from the stream with the birch-trees. John Birckbeck married
Elizabeth ADDISON at Bishop Auckland in 1773, but around forty years later,
relations between the families were not so cordial, as another John Bir(k)beck
was accused of raping a Margaret Addison!
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BIRD. A bird-like person.
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BIRKETT. Another name from both sides of the Pennines – the dweller near the
birch-covered headland. It seems probable that both BIRKBECK and BIRKETT may
have multiple origins.
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BIRKS. A dweller by the birch-trees.
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