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Our Surnames I-J-K
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I
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IBITSON.
This can be spelled in various ways and means “son of IBBOT”, recorded in
the 14th C. IBBOT can itself be a surname, which goes back another
hundred years and is a diminutive either of Hilbert, a man’s name or Isabel, a
woman’s name.
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INGLEDEW. Probably an alternative spelling of Engledew, i.e. Angele-dieu,
“Angel of God”. That’s something to live up to! See www.ingledew.family.name
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IRELAND. The Irishman, recorded as a surname in both England and Scotland back
as far as the 13th C.
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IRVING. Probably the name for someone from Irvine in Ayrshire or Irving in
Dumfries. Note the similarity with IRWIN, which has a different derivation.
It’s important to check the earliest spelling in the record… or just keep an
open mind! Family tradition has it that the IRVINGs were heavily slaughtered by
the Duke of Cumberland’s army at and after Culloden.
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IRWIN. See ERWIN
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IVEY. Possibly from the French Ivoy, in the Département of Cher. Could also
have something to do with Yew trees (not Ivy, oddly enough!), from which the
mediaeval given name IVO derives. (see VIPOND). Our IVEYs came to the north from
Cornwall.
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JACK.
Scholars cannot agree whether this derives from the popular diminutive for JOHN,
or from the French JACQUES which translates of course as JAMES. The answer is
probably both at various times. A very similar name (probably the same!), JAGGE
the Jongleur appears in no less a source than Piers Plowman in the late 14th
C . (ONS).
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JACKMAN,
JAKEMAN. Usually rendered as Jack’s servant but, as a jack can be a tally
stick used by travelling salesman to record sales & debts, this could be an
equally likely source. It just so happens that our researcher’s early JAKEMAN
ancestors were horse-dealers in North Oxfordshire.
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JACKSON. JACK’s sons appear in the record very soon after JACK himself.
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JAMES. The Biblical given name appears at first as JACOBUS, so some blurring
with the JACK derived names can occur.
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JAMESON, JAMIESON. Son of James.
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JARVIS. Either from a mediaeval personal name, GERVASE or from Jervaulx in
Yorkshire.
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JEFFERSON, JEFFS. From a diminutive of Geoffrey.
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JENKINS, JENKNSON. A diminutive for “Young John” and hence his servants and
sons.
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JIGGINS.
Probably a variant of JUGGINS or JUDKIN, itself a diminutive of JORDAN.
This last became a popular baptismal name after the crusades when the font
contained water (genuine or fake!) from the River Jordan.
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JOBES.
Possibly from the biblical Job, who appeared in Mystery Plays.
Alternatively a jobe or joppe
was a fool, or a maker of jupes (long
woollen garments) or jubbes (large
liquor vessels) could have adopted the surname. The last possibility looks best
for our line, as many holders of this surname in the North East descend from
James JUBBS who married Ann ANDERSON 1804 at Wallsend. The name varies JUBBS/JOBBES/JOBS
in early census returns and parish records before becoming JOBES.
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JOBLING, JOPLING. This name, in various spellings, is said to come from
job-el-in, literally "little fool" or Jop (fool) ling (meaning `little
one or `son of`). The name was applied as a nickname.
I believe `fool` was in the sense of a performer- "the fool",
rather than an idiot or imbecile. Both
(ONS).
jopling@one-name.org
For comprehensive information, see www.jopling.info
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JOHN. The ancient
and ever popular given name is a surname in its own right and also gives rise to
a plethora of other given- and surnames. It derives from Hebrew, meaning
“Favoured by Jehovah (or Yahweh)”. As it is rendered Johannes or Iohannes in
Latin, Han is a favoured pet-form, with diminutives HANKIN and HANCOCK being
common surnames. And JACK, too, not to mention the feminine given names Joan and
Jo(h)anna. The list goes on!
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JOHNSON.
John’s son.
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JOHNSTON. Either an alternative for JOHNSON, as above, or from Johnstone in
Annandale, Dumfriesshire. (See also “Reivers”)
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JULIAN. A popular saints’ name. In the Middle Ages,
this was the form for both masculine and feminine as a given name; in modern
times the feminine form has become Juliana or Gillian.
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KAY,
(KEY). A very old name, with various spellings, recorded on both sides of the
Border and even the Isle of Man since the 13th C. Typically in an old
name, there are various theories as to its origin: a dockside dweller (the
modern spelling “quay” retains the old pronunciation!) or a key-maker for
locks. More fancifully, “key” can be dialect for left-handed or even
crow-like!
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MACKAY can be a related name but if so, the derivation is that KAY is a
shortening of MACKAY; MACKAY is Mac_Aoidh, not Mac_Kay.
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KEARTON. From the place-name near Grinton, North
Yorkshire. (Grid
Ref: SE045984)
See
also KIRTON.
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KEENLEYSIDE,
KEENLEYSIDES, KEENLISIDE, KEENLYSIDE, KENLISIDES, KINDLEY, KINDLEYSIDE,
KINDLEYSIDES, KINLESIDE, KINLEYSIDE, KYNLYSIDE. From the place-name, Keenleyside
in Northumberland. (Landranger Sheet 87, Grid Ref NY786550). (Stan Beckensall
defines "Keenleyside" in his book "Northumberland Place
Names" as: "a hill by a clearing where Cena lived". The earliest
spelling being Kenleya in 1230, etc.") Robert
KINLESIDE of Alston Moor, CUL married Elizabeth HAGGERSTONE also of Alston Moor
at Penrith, CUL, on the 17th May
1687. That led to the family living in the mining area around Long Marton,
Dufton and Knock, all WES, and the name gradually changing from KEENLEYSIDES to
KINDLEYSIDES and thence to KINDLEY.
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KEIGHLEY.
From the place-name in West Yorkshire. (Landranger Sheet 104, SE 060420)
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KELL. Said to be from the place-name, Keele, in Staffordshire or Lincolnshire,
or possibly a shortening of KETTLE, which in the middle ages and earlier meant
cauldron.
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KELLY. The usual derivation is from Irish (and Manx) Ó
Ceallaigh – “Son of War”. There are, however, a number of place-names
in Scotland and England from which it may have been taken.
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KENNEDY. From the
Irish Cendetig, meaning ugly- or grim-headed. The name had found its way into
Galloway and the Borders by the 12th Century. Before that the name
came from the Munster area of southwest Ireland. The area known as ‘Carrick’,
stretches form from the Inch, near Stranraer, to above Ayr was all governed at
one stage by the Earls of Carrick, Kennedy being their family name.
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KENETY. Possibly a
phonetic spelling of KENNEDY.
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KERR,
KER. Interchangeable with CARR (q.v.) in many records. This name has a recorded
history in the Borders going back to the 12th C., and was infamous in
its time as one of the many reivers’ clans (see Reivers).
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KIDD. Probably a goatherd.
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KILGOUR. From Kilgour in Fife.
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KINDLEY. A shortening of KINDLEYSIDE / KEENLEYSIDE (q.v.)
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KINDRED. Like COUSIN, probably a relationship to someone too obvious to name!
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KING. Either a regular player in a pageant, or someone with a kingly bearing
(e.g. Elvis Presley!)
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KIRSOP.
Sounds like a place-name, meaning something like “the church in the valley”
but there is nothing on the maps.
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KIRTLEY. Most probably the same as Kirkley, from
the place-name in Northumberland.
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KIRTON. Said to be from Kirton, Lincolnshire. Is there one closer? We do know
that this name is interchanged with KEARTON in early Alston records. Elizabeth
KIRTON married William BOAG (q.v.) in Jarrow in Dec 1819.
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KITCHEN, KITCHIN. A kitchen worker. KITCHENER might well have been in charge.
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KITSON.
Son of Kit, usually a diminutive of Christopher.
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KNIBBS.
No data yet available.
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KNOX.
A well known name north of the Border, of course. It derives from Knock in
Renfrewshire.
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