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Title: Dictionary of English Surnames by R. M. Wilson, Percy H. Dictionary of British Surnames Reaney ISBN: 0-19-860092-5 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: November, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (6 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Indispensable if needed for research
Comment: Obviously someone who wishes to give a first name to a child is not the most likely person to consult this very learned tome: for those people P. Hanks and F. Hodges's *Dictionary of First Names* (also published by Oxford) is the appropriate book (though David Pickering's *Penguin Dictionary of First Names* is also very good). Obviously, if the first name you have in mind is also a surname, then this reference tool, too, is likely to be useful.
The amount of work that has gone into this volume is daunting, particularly when it comes to the mention of early sources in which names have been found. Some of that material is perhaps more of interest to the specialist than the general user, but in any case it is valuable. The Introduction, on names generally, is extremely informative and interesting.
For myself, I most often need to know what a surname might mean (most of them do have meaning), and I suspect that this is what others, too, frequently want to know. For example, are those many Australians who have the surname *Smyth* in effect carrying the surname *Smith*? Yes, indeed: the *y* is merely a spelling variant, which many welcome because it suggests a name other than *Smith* (though quite a few people called *Smyth* don't themselves know that *Smyth*= *Smith*!).
Does this dictionary reveal what one wants to know? It does, but not always in the handiest way possible. It has an entry *Smye, Smythe*, but not one for *Smyth*: one needs to know something about the early stages of the language to realise that if *Smythe* is an early form of *Smith*, then so is *Smyth* likely to be, and if one then turns to *Smith* one will find *Smyth* there. So not everyone will necessarily immediately discover the material searched for - but most people are likely to do so eventually. All in all , I recommend the book heartily, and use it often. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University (South Australia)
Rating: 5
Summary: Fascinating and well-documented
Comment: The Dictionary of English Surnames is wonderful -- tons of information about surnames both common and rare, with many dated examples of early spellings. Sources are always given. This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the origin of English surnames, especially re-enactors and others interested in names that would have existed in the late medieval/Renaissance period. Since the examples are dated, it is easy to find names from a particular time.
Rating: 5
Summary: Marvelous Source!
Comment: Dictionary of English Surnames is a very complete book that lists many many English Surnames, and it tells of certain ancestors of the name and where they came from, and what the surname means. It is a very helpful resource for amateur geneologists, or just someone fascinated by the Last Name. THe beginning of the books tells about Surnames and how they came to be etc etc. It is very fascinating and the authors do a very good job at explaining things. Great source...get it!
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Title: A Dictionary of English Place-Names by A. D. Mills ISBN: 0192800744 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: July, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: American Surnames by Elsdon Coles Smith, Eldson C. Smith ISBN: 0806311509 Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company Pub. Date: December, 1997 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: The Surnames of Ireland by Edward MacLysaght ISBN: 0716523663 Publisher: Irish Academic Pr Pub. Date: June, 1991 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History by George F. Black ISBN: 0871041723 Publisher: New York Public Library Pub. Date: 1999 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
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Title: Penguin Dictionary of Surnames by Basil Cottle ISBN: 014051032X Publisher: Penguin Uk Pub. Date: August, 1967 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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