What information can i find out with some of my ancestors surnames?

Question

So far i've discovered Yarrow, Wall, Simpson, Greener, Fraser and Lambert

Answer 1

From surnames alone, almost nothing.  Any one is free to adopt any surname they choose; my own surname is extant in more than 30 countries.  Various sources give different countries of origin!

You just have to start with yourself and work backwards to trace your ancestors.  Try:

You should start by asking all your living relatives about family history.  Then, armed with that information, you can go to your public library and check to see if it has a genealogy department.  Most do nowadays; also, don't forget to check at community colleges, universities, etc.  Our public library has both www.ancestry.com and www.heritagequest.com free for anyone to use (no library card required).

Another place to check out is any of the Mormon's Family History Centers.  They allow people to search for their family history (and, NO, they don't try to convert you).

A third option is one of the following websites:

http://www.searchforancestors.com/...

http://www.censusrecords.net/?o_xid=2739...

http://www.usgenweb.com/

http://www.census.gov/

http://www.rootsweb.com/

http://www.ukgenweb.com/

http://www.archives.gov/

http://www.familysearch.org/

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/...

http://www.cyndislist.com/

http://www.geni.com/

Cyndi's has the most links to genealogy websites, whether ship's passenger lists, ancestors from Africa, ancestors from the Philippines, where ever and whatever.

Of course, you may be successful by googling: "john doe, born 1620, plimouth, massachusetts" as an example.

Good luck and have fun!

Check out this article on five great free genealogy websites:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

Then there is the DNA test; if you decide you want to REALLY know where your ancestors came from opt for the DNA test. Besides all the mistakes that officials commonly make, from 10% to 20% of birth certificates list the father wrong; that is, mama was doing the hanky-panky and someone else was the REAL father. That won't show up on the internet or in books; it WILL show up in DNA.

I used www.familytreedna.com which works with the National Geographics Genotype Program.

Answer 2

Surnames are clues, not facts. Most African-Americans have English, Irish, Scottish or German sunames, for instance, but their ancestors are from Africa. Someone whose mother was Cherokee and father was Chinese would still have a Chinese suname. Lots of Huguenots, Germans, and Dutch who came to the USA changed their ancestral spelling to something English so their neighbors would pronounce it properly. (I have a Souplis who became Suplee. Thousands of people have a Muller who became Miller)

Genealogy is about tracing your family, one generation at a time, not surname origin.

Answer 3

Many people only want generic information about the background of surnames (and we have some excellent persons who supply that).

My view point is that your ancestors are far more than just their last names, that the stories relate to individuals. You'll find that, by researching the specifics of each one.

http://www.cyndislist.com/beginner.htm

One site that I suggest often is cyndis, since she has an incredible collection of genealogy resources, from how-to, to localities and other topics.

You might not be interested in this end, or want to take the time for it.  That's fine. I simply offer it as another viewpoint.

Answer 4

Surname: Yarrow

This intriguing surname is of Medieval English and Scottish origin and is locational from the place so called in Scotland, and the river in Lancashire. The derivation of Yarrow, in Selkirk, Scotland is from the Gaelic "garbh", rough and is recorded circa 1120 as "Gierua". However, the river Yarrow is a derivation either from the Welsh "garw", meaning rough, or the Welsh "ariant", silver, both presumably, descriptive. During the Middle Ages it became common for those migrating from their birth place to seek work elsewhere, to adopt their village name as a means of identification, thus resulting in the wide dispersal of the name. Amongst the example names recorded is one, John Yarrow who married Susanna Merredith in 1766 at St. George's, Hanover Square, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Sarah Yarrowe, which was dated circa 1573, St. Dionis Church, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603.

Surname: Wall

Recorded in over forty spellings including Wall and Walle (English) Wall, Wallmann (German) Wahl and the ornamentals Wallenberg and Wahlberg (Swedish), it is recorded in many parts of Northern Europe. It may also have Irish origins. All nationalities are slightly different in meaning. If English or German it means a defensive wall as described below, if Swedish a grassy bank or flood barrier, and as an ornamental name 'Pasture-hill', or for something completely different the Irish translation, which derives from the ancient Gaelic 'de Bahl' and means a stranger! In Sweden ornamental surnames were introduced in the 18th century to try to obtain variety from the patronymics such as Anderssen or Tomsen which formed the overwhelming numbers in the lsist making identification very difficult. In England and Germany residential surnames were among the earliest created. Natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages. In England where the earliest recordings are to be found, the various early recorded forms of the name are interesting: with Alexander super le Wal appearing in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1279, and a Walter ope the Walle in the Colchester Court Rolls of 1312. The first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere is shown to be that of Robert de la Walle, which was dated 1195, in the "Pipe Rolls of Essex".

Surname: Greener

Recorded as Greener, Greenier, Grinyer, and possibly others, this is an English medieval surname. It is either locational, and describes somebody who lived by a "green", an area of common land used by the tenant farmers for grazing, or occasionally it may be job descriptive, for one who maintained "the green". The derivation is from the pre 7th century word "grene", and one of the earliest examples of any surname recording is that of Geoffrey de Grene of Kent, in the year 1188. It is also possible that the name in the early days may have been a nickname for a young person, somebody who was "a bit green". This description was probably applied to Peter Greenii, of York, in the pipe rolls of that city for 1196. The French writer Dauzat in the 13th century, refers to "la verdeur de homme", the green man. This is clearly mean to to be sarcastic, as he goes on about "sa jeunesse, sa vivacite", perhaps an older man jealous of a younger man's sexual prowess! Early examples of the surname recordings include John le Greener, of Worcester, in the Subsidy Rolls of the year 1332, and James Grinyer, a christening witnss at St Pauls Deptford, in Kent, on June 21st 1752.. The first recording is believed to be that of Robert de la Greenore, in the Hundred Rolls of the county of Suffolk, in the year 1275. This was during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307

Surname: Fraser

This ancient Scottish clan surname, is widely recorded in the spellings of Fraser, Frazer and Frazier, the latter being an American spelling. Curiously, although alwayts associated with Tweedale, its exact origins remain undetermined. The earliest recorded spelling forms include de Fresel, de Friselle and de Freseliere, indicating a possible French locational origin, however, there is no place in France answering to the spelling. A more likely explanation is that the name is not French at all, since the word 'fraisse' heraldically describes a strawberry, and it is known that early lands of the clan included an area at Neidpath where strawberys grew prolifically. Certainly the clan were know as the "Strawberry bearers", from their heraldic coat of arms, but this possibly sarcastic description does not seem to have harmed their chances in the world, the clan at onetime being the most powerful in Scotland. Examples of the early surname recordings include Symon Ffraser, who gave the church of Keith to the Abbey of Kelso in the late 12th Century, and George Freser who witnessed a Charter by Walter Olifard in the year 1210. Sir Simon Fraser, known as "the Scottish patriot" was one of Sir Willam Wallaces commanders. It is recorded that in the battle of Roslin in 1302, he defeated three regiments of the English army in one day. The Frasers were equally as proficient at aquiring land. By a series of advantageous marriages they spread their influence right across Scotland, William Fraser, earl of Ross, was chancellor of Scotland from 1319 - 1326. He fought with King Robert, The Bruce, at Methven in 1306. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Sir Simon Frasee, which was dated circa 1160, in "Rolls and Charters of East Lothian", Scotland, during the reign of King Malcolm 1V of Scotland, 1153 - 1165.

Surname: Lambert

Recorded in over forty spelling forms from Lambert, Lambard and Limprecht, to Lambrich, Lambertini and Lemmens, this surname is almost certainly of very early German origins. As a surname it started life in the 12th century, but the derivation is from a pre 5th century personal name. This was 'Landbehrt', composed of the elements "land", meaning territory, and "berht", bright, and whilst the meaning may have been "Bright land", it may not have had a meaning at all! Nethetheless it is one of a group of 'made up' names, apparently extolling the virtues of land ownership, and territorial possession. Whether this was fact or wishful thinking, is not proven. What is known is that St. Lambert, Bishop of Maastricht in about the year 700 a.d, was highly venerated, and a source of the name's popularity. Examples of the early recordings include Gozelinus filius Lamberti of Yorkshire, England,in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, but clearly this name was not hereditary in the sense we know it today, nor was that of Tiddemus filius Lamberti of Hamburg in 1262. Another source of the name can be the Olde English 'Lambhierd', representing the occupation of lamb-herd, the first recorded namebearer being William Lambhyrde, in the 1255 Assize Court Rolls of Essex. Charles Lambert, aged 23 yrs., was an early settler in the New World Colonies, leaving London on the "Expedition" bound for the Barbadoes, in November 1635. The first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere in the world is believed to be that of Richard Lambert, which was dated 1148, in the 'Pipe Rolls' of Hampshire. This was during the reign of King Stephen of England, known as "Count of Blois", 1135 - 1154.

Surname: Simpson

Recorded in the spellings of Symson, Simson and Simpson, this is an Anglo-Scottish surname with two distinct possible origins. The first and most generally accepted being a patronymic form of the medieval male name 'Simme', claimed to be a variant of the Greek 'Simon'. This is probably correct, and as such would have been introduced into Britain by the 12th century Crusaders. However it is also possible that 'Simme' was a short form of the pre 7th century Olde English 'Sigmund'. Either way early recordings of the surname include Johannes Symmeson, in the Poll Tax rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, and John Simpson, in the Calverley charters of Yorkshire in 1397. The 'p' in the latter example is a dialectal intrusion, introduced to make for easier pronunciation. The surname is first recorded in Scotland in 1405, when William Symsoun appears in the Edinburgh Burgess rolls, whilst in 1482 Wylzame Symptsun, so much for spelling, was declared innocent of detaining King James 111 (of Scotland) in Edinburgh Castle! It is also claimed that Simpson may be of locational origin from two hamlets of the same name in Buckinghamshire and Devonshire. These places appeared as "Swinestone" in the Domesday Book of 1086, and have as their first element the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Sigewine", plus "tun", - a settlement. An interesting recording relates to Thomas Simpson, who embarked on the ship 'Paule of London', bound for Virginia in July 1635, and thus was one of the earliest colonists to the New World. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Symmeson, which was dated 1353, who was a witness in the Assize Court of Staffordshire, during the reign of King Edward 111, known as 'The Father of the English Navy', 1327 - 1377