Over the next two days we are going to be thinking about surnames. In many ways, T & U are not only linked together, but also to S for Synthesis.

The main question is What does my surname mean? There are a number of key surnames and where they originate can determine what kind of surname they are. You can read an earlier post HERE.

I have two studies, one for the surname of Butcher which is an occupational name. The other is for the surname of Orlando which suggests it is a Patronymic surname with links to Roland and Rowland. I am not entirely happy with the conclusions that I have drawn about this surname, but over the coming weeks I will discuss it more here. Incidentally, both of my One-Name Studies sites are deep under construction, I have 25 years of paper to process!

My husband has a study for the surname of Worship which was the maiden name of his paternal grandmother, I have always felt that the surname was very much linked to either a post holder name, someone who was connected with the church in some way and, having searched the Clergy of the Church of England Database there are a number of Worship entries as you can see below and some of them are quite early.

• Worship, Benjamin (1764-1764)
• Worship, James (1577-1585)
• Worship, John (1591-1599)
• Worship, John Lucas (1817-1834)
• Worship, William Taylor (1822-1832)
• Worshipp, William (1618-1618)

By thinking about your surname you are building up a profile about the surname, it’s origins and focus. Those factors give a One-Name study a good grounding and are these are discussed in the Pharos introduction to One-Name Studies course and in the Guild publication, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the Art of a One-Name Study, available from the Guild or Amazon.

I’ll be back to tomorrow talking about….see you tomorrow!