The following names come from "Soldiers in Kent: The Trained Band under Captain Kempe in 1595, transcribed by Peter Stuart. There's a total of 229 names. I have tabulated the forenames. They are, in decreasing order of frequency:
| Name | Number |
|---|---|
| John | 49 |
| Thomas | 37 |
| Wyllyam | 23 (25) |
| William | 1 |
| Willyam | 1 |
| Rychard | 19 |
| Roberte | 13 (15) |
| Robert | 2 |
| Edward | 9 |
| Henry | 5 (7) |
| Henrye | 2 |
| Danyell | 4 |
| Gregorye | 3 (4) |
| Grygorye | 1 |
| Alexander | 3 |
| George | 3 |
| Isaack | 2 (3) |
| Issaack | 1 |
| Sampson | 3 |
| Stephen | 3 |
| Abraham | 2 |
| Anthonye | 2 |
| Arthure | 2 |
| Austen | 2 |
| Chrystofer | 2 |
| Clemente | 2 |
| James | 2 |
| Josephe | 1 (2) |
| Josphe | 1 [probably] |
| Nicholas | 1 (2) |
| Nycholas | 1 |
| Peter | 2 |
| Samuall | 1 (2) |
| Samuell | 1 |
| Andrewe | 1 |
| Bartholmewe | 1 |
| Cypryan | 1 |
| Davyd | 1 |
| Edmond | 1 |
| Hugh | 1 |
| Humfrye | 1 |
| Jerman | 1 |
| Jonas | 1 |
| Josyas | 1 |
| Laurance | 1 |
| Malcus | 1 |
| Marke | 1 |
| Matthewe | 1 |
| Moyses | 1 |
| Paull | 1 |
| Phylypp | 1 |
| Ralphe | 1 |
| Raynold | 1 |
| Repente | 1 |
| Roger | 1 |
| Symon | 1 |
| Trystram | 1 |
At this late date the surnames are of course hereditary (with at most a very few exceptions), but I was curious to know what types had survived, and in what numbers. I ended up using the following categories for the surnames that I could identify with some certainty:
Many of the surnames that I have classified under a specific type are technically ambiguous; I have ignored this ambiguity when there is reason to think either that only one type of source is at all common, or that one source predominated in Kent.
In the following lists an upper-case name in square brackets is a reference to the relevant entry in Reaney & Wilson, if there is one; except in the case of locative surnames, anything else in square brackets is my commentary. A notation like [BARLING: Barling Green Fm, East Sutton, Kent] in the entry for a locative surname means that Reaney & Wilson treat the name s.n. Barling and specifically mention this Kentish farm as a source of the surname.
Names following the '+' sign, if any, are bynames found in the 1334/5 Kent Lay Subsidy Roll, either earlier forms of the surname in question, or, failing that, a very closely related name. I omitted frequency information, because this is anything but a random sample; I suspect, for instance, that in several cases of multiple instances of a single surname we're dealing with members of a single family.
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Adams | [ADAM] + Adam |
| Alcock | [ALCOCK] + Alkok |
| Allard | [ADLARD] + Alard |
| Amys | [AMES] + Amys |
| Aucher | [ALGER] + Auchier |
| Austen | [AUSTEN] + Austin, Austyn |
| Bartlett | [BARTLET] + Bart(h)elot |
| Broman | [BROOMAN] + Broman |
| Chyllman | [CHILLMAN] |
| Claringboll | [CLARINGBOLD] + Clarinbaud, Clarynbaud, Clarebaud |
| Cuttrys | [CUTTERIDGE] |
| Dabbs | [DABBS] |
| Dobbe | [DOBB] + Dobbe |
| Ellyce | [ELLIS] + Elys |
| Elvye | [ELVEY] |
| Elvyed | From OE Ælfgéat. |
| George | [GEORGE] + Gorge? |
| Goodwyne | [GODWIN] + Godwyn(e), Guodwyne |
| Gybbon | [GIBBEN] + Gyboun |
| Gybbs | [GIBB] + Gibbe, Gybbe |
| Harryce | [HARRY] + Harry, Herry, Hery |
| Harrys | |
| Hyggynson | [HIGGINSON] |
| Lukyn | [LOVEKIN] |
| Morryce | [MAURICE] + Moris, Morys |
| Osbourne | [OSBORN] + Osbarn, Osebarn, Ossebarne, Ossebarn |
| Payne | [PAIN] + Payn, Peyn |
| Peers | [PIERCE] + Pieres, Pyeres, Pyers, Pyres, Peres, Perys, Pers |
| Persyvall | [PERCEVAL] + Perseval |
| Phylpott | [PHILPOT] + Philpot, Philepot, Philipot, Phylepot |
| Phylypps | [PHILIP] + Philippe, Philip, Phillippe, Phelippe, Phelip, Phelipe |
| Rayner | [RAYNER] + Rayner, Reigner, Reyner |
| Rygden | [RIGDEN] + Rikedonn, Rikedoun, Rykedoun |
| Tyrrye | [TERREY] + Terri, Terry |
| Watts | [WATT] + Wattes, Watte, Wat |
| Wyllams | [WILLIAMS] + Willem |
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Masterson | [MASTERSON] + le Maister, le Mayster, Mayster, Maistre |
| Smythson | [SMITHSON] + le Smyth, le Smith, Smyth, Smith, Smythe, Faber |
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Amyas | [AMIAS] |
| Baldock | [BALDICK: Baldock, Herts.] |
| Bargrove | + de Bergrove |
| Barlynge | [BARLING: Barling Green Fm, East Sutton, Kent] + de Barlyng' |
| Barrowe | [BARROW] + atte Berghe? |
| Barrye | [BARRY] + Barry |
| Bayle | [BAIL] + Bayly, Baylie, Bayli, atte Baylie |
| Bottle | [BOTHELL] + Botyl |
| Bourne | [BOURN] + atte Bourn(e) |
| Broome | [BROOM] + atte Brome |
| Bryckended | Prob. a misreading of Bryckenden: Brickendon, Herts. + de Brickyndenne |
| Bryssenden | [BRISSENDEN: Brissenden in Frittenden, in Tenterden, Kent] + de Bresyndenne |
| Buckyngham | [BUCKINGHAM] |
| Bynge | [BING] |
| Byrchette | [BIRCHETT] + atte Birchette |
| Caldwell | [CALDWELL] + de Calewelle? |
| Charte | [CHART: Chart, Kent] |
| Chester | [CHESTER] |
| Chyttenden | [CHITTENDEN: Chittenden, Kent] + de Chiterindenne |
| Coveney | Ekwall notes Coveney in Cambs. + Covene |
| Deale | [DEAL: Deal, Kent] + atte Dele, de Dele |
| Downe | [DOWN]; Downe is a town or parish in Kent (http://users.ox.ac.uk/~malcolm/genuki/big/eng/KEN/parishes.htm, but the LSR citation suggests a topographical byname. + atte Doune |
| Dryland | Smith s.v. drýge 'dry' notes Dryland as a Kentish place-name. + Dreylond(e) |
| Egerden | A Survey of the Manor of Wye, 1452-1454, has a Ricard(us) Combere olim Ricard(us) Egerdenn (p.153) who is also Ricard(us) Comber, olim Ricard(us) Egeryndenn (p.183), so the place-name isn't entirely clear, but GENUKI has a town or parish Egerton. |
| Esheherste | [ASHHURST: Ashurst, Kent]; Essherst is the usual form in the mid-15th c. Wye data. |
| Farley | [FARLEY] + de Farleghe |
| Farne | [FERN] + atte Ferne |
| Goatelye | [GOATLEY: Goatley in Northiam, Sussex] + de Gotele, de Gotlee |
| Goldwell | [GOLDWELL: Goldwells in Horndon on the Hill, Essex] + de Goldwell(e) |
| Gorham | [GOREHAM] |
| Grenstede | [GREENSTED] + de Grenestede |
| Hall | [HALL] + atte Halle, de Aula |
| Haull | http://www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/Research/Pub/KRV/09/NH/090.htm shows a Thomas Hall or Haule who died 2 Ed. vi (1548). The OED s.v. hall (1) identifies haull as a 16th century spelling, with haule in the 14th - 17th centuries. |
| Haslegrove | [HAZELGROVE] |
| Hatche | [HATCH] + atte Hacche, atte Hecche, Hache |
| Horsey | [HORSEY] |
| Howe | [HOW] + atte Hoo, atte Ho, de Hoo |
| Hylls | [HILL] + atte Helle, de Helle |
| Kennet | [KENNET] |
| Lades | [LADE] |
| Marche | [MARCH] + atte Marche, de Marchia |
| Marketman | [MARKET] |
| Maxfeyld | |
| Maxstede | [Maxsted, Kent] from OE meox, mix 'dung, filth' and sted 'a place' (Smith s.v. mix) + de Mexsted |
| Mownte | [MOUNT] + de Mounte, Mounte |
| Mylls | [MILL] + atte Melle |
| Ower | [OWER] |
| Pysynge | + de Pisyng', de Pysing', de Pysing, de Pysingge |
| Sherewood | [SHERWOOD] |
| Shypwashe | [SHEEPWASH] |
| Snothe | [SNEAD]; this is evidently a variant of snode, a Kentish development of OE snád 'a detached piece of woodland'; the Wye data include bynames atte Snothe and atte Snoth. + atte Snode, atte Snod |
| Tetherton | |
| Toppenden | Ekwall has Tappington, Kent, Tapinton 1245, which may or may not be the same name. + de Topindenne, de Typyndenne, de Tepyndenne, Tubbindenne |
| Trytton | This is almost certainly a place-name in origin, but I've found nothing that looks at all plausible as a source. |
| Turley | Ekwall notes places named Thorley in Herts. and on the Isle of Wight. + Thorleghe |
| Tylbye | I can't find such a place, and a -by name is a little surprising; perh. an error for Tylburye, or a reduced form thereof, from Tilbury, Essex? |
| Tylden | [TILDEN: Tilden in Benenden, Kent] + de Tildenne, Teldene |
| Weldyshe | [WILDISH] + Wealdissche, Weldissche |
| Wood | [WOOD] + atte Wode, atte Wod, de Wode Woodd |
| Wylmonton | [WILMINGTON: Wilmington, Kent] + de Wylmyntone, de Wilmyntone |
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Bacheler | [BACHELOR] + Bacheler |
| Baker | [BAKER] + Baker(e), Pistor |
| Cadman | [CADMAN] |
| Carpenter | [CARPENTER] + Carpenter, Carpentar' |
| Carter | [CARTER] + Cartere, Cartare |
| Chapman | [CHAPMAN] + Chapman, le Chapman |
| Cooke | [COOK] + le Cooc', le Cook', Cook, Couk', Kook', Cocus, Kocus |
| Francklyn | [FRANKLIN] + Frankelayn, Frankeleyn |
| Fryar | [FREAR] + Frere |
| Fuller | [FULLER] + Fullere, le Fullere, Fuller, Follere |
| Glover | [GLOVER] + Glover(e) |
| Hawker | [HAWKER] + le Haukere, Haukere |
| Huntt | [HUNT] + le Hounte, le Hunte, Hounte, Hunte |
| Ladd | [LADD] + Lad |
| Mason | [MASON] + Masoun, le Massoun, Massoun, Massoon, Masezoun |
| Page | [PAGE] + Page, Pag' |
| Parker | [PARKER] + Parker |
| Pylcher | [PILCHER] + Pilcher, Pilchere, Pylchere |
| Sedger | [SEDGER] |
| Slater | [SLATER] |
| Smythe | [SMITH] + le Smyth, le Smith, Smyth, Smith, Smythe, Faber |
| Taylor | [TAYLOR] + le Taillour, le Tayllour, le Taylour, le Taylere, Taillour, Tayllour, Taylour, Teylour, Cissor |
| Turner | [TURNER] + le Turnour, Turnour, Turnor, Tournour |
| Waker | [WAKER] + Wake? |
| Wayte | [WAIT] + Wayte, Weite?, Weyte? (But note Weytelove.) |
| Webb | [WEBB] + le Webbe, Webbe, Webb |
| Woodward | [WOODWARD] |
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Back | [BACK]; from the LSR citations I take this to be 'the bat', ME bakke.] + le Bac', le Bak', le Back', Back' |
| Bellamye | [BELLAMY] |
| Browne | [BROWN] + Broun |
| Bull | [BULL] |
| Bygge | [BIGG] + Bigge, Bygge |
| Cloak | [CLOAK] + Cluk'? |
| Crowde | [CROWDE] + Croude, Crud |
| Gobel | [GOBEL] + Gobel |
| Harte | [HART] + le Hert, le Herte, Hert', de Hert |
| Hogben | [HOGBEN] |
| Kempe | [KEMP] + Kempe |
| Morecock | [MOORCOCK] + Morcok', Morcok |
| Rassel | Greimas s.v. ras has a masculine rasel 'a measure of wheat; a piece of wood used to remove excess grains of wheat therefrom', but ras (adj.) is 'close-shorn', and the noun is 'even measure', i.e., a dry measure with no heaped-up excess, so I think that this is probably a diminutive for someone with close-cropped hair. + le Rasel, Rasel |
| Savage | [SAVAGE] + le Sauvage, Sauvage, Sauvag', Savage |
| Sprotte | Probably a nickname, but the sense is ambiguous; possible sources are OE sprot 'a smelt' and OE sprota 'a shoot, a sprout, a twig'. + Sprot |
| Stronge | [STRONG] + Stronge |
| Sylke | [SILK] + Selke |
| Younge | [YOUNG] + le Younge, Leyounge, Younge, ghunge |
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Brett | [BRET] + Bret, le Bret |
| Brette | |
| Welche | [WELSH] + le Welsche, Welsche, Welssche |
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Barnes | [BARNE] + atte Berne |
| Bett | [BETT] |
| Love | [LOVE] + Love |
| Lyllye | [LILEY] + Lilie, Lilye, Lylie |
| Maye | [MAY] + le Maii, le May, le Mey, May |
| Mychell | [MITCHELL] + Michel, Mychel |
| Mytchell | |
| Myles | [MILES] + Miles, Myles |
| Parys | [PARIS] + Parys |
| Waterman | [WATERMAN] + Waterman |
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Androve | Perhaps for Androue, a form of Andrew (in which case see ANDREW)? The main objection is that the Andro- type is predominantly northern, but it's not out of the question that o here is a misreading (or miswriting) of e. + Andreu |
| Buxce | Perhaps ME box(e) 'box-tree', from OE box; the LSR data include Box. |
| Cryspye | This may be a CRISP variant. |
| Drene | Perhaps a misreading of Dreue, in which case see DREW. + Dreu |
| Myllen | This is probably ultimately from OE myl(e)n (Kentish meln) 'a mill' or a derivative thereof, but I can't find a convincing derivation. |
| Spye | Perhaps a variant of SPIER. |
| Spyllett | Perhaps originally patronymic, from a diminutive in -et of Cont. Gmc. Spilo, in which case see SPILL. |
| Vydya | his looks like an error for Vydyan, attested in 1548 as a variant of the patronymic surname Vivian (see VIVIAN). |
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Bardgelen | |
| Brodemax | This appears to be a compound whose first element is ME brode 'broad' (OE brád), but the second element is obscure. |
| Crygbye | On the face of it this looks like a locative surname from a place-name in -by, but if it is, the first element is obscure, and such a surname would not be native to Kent. |
| Dense | It's conceivable that this is a variant of DENCE, from OE denisc 'Danish', ME denshe, dench, but forms like Dence and Dens are general northern. Alternatively, it could perhaps be a variant of DEAN, with the vowel shortened as in DENSON. Yet another possibility is a reduced form of DENIS. None of these is especially convincing, however. |
| Farerace | |
| Inente | |
| Kyrge | |
| Maytam | There is a Maytham in Kent, from OE mægþe 'may-weed' and hamm 'a water meadow', but the citations in Ekwall are Maiham ca. 1185, Meyhamme 1242, and Matham 1314, which don't fit well with a later surname Maytam. On the other hand, the LSR data have Mayleme, suggesting the possibility that Maytam here is an error for Maylam; unfortunately, I cannot identify Mayleme even as to type with any confidence. |
| Mellowes | I suspect that it's locative in origin, but I can neither find such a place nor come up with a wholly satisfactory etymology. OE maluwe, mealewe, mealuwe, mealwe 'mallow, Malva sylvestris' is tempting, perhaps from a minor place-name, but I have no confirmed instance of this word in a place-name. |
| Monns | Possibilities include MOON and MUNN. |
| Ronndoe | |
| Taplyfe | |
| Waytehedd | It is very tempting to see this as a variant of WHITEHEAD, but I can find no evidence for wayte as a variant of white, and it would be a very unlikely development of OE hwít. |
References
Ekwall, Eilert, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, 4th edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991)
Greimas, Algirdas Julien, Dictionnaire de l'ancien français (Paris: Larousse, 1997).
LSR
Reaney, P. H., & R. M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames (London: Routledge, 1991; Oxford University Press, 1995).
Smith, A.H., English Place-Name Elements (Cambridge: At the University Press, 1956)
A Survey of the Manor of Wye, 1452-1454
Editing and HTML by Sara L. Uckelman (known in the SCA as Aryanhwy merch Catmael)