Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast History's most unfortunate surnames
Aug 18, 2025
Harry Parkin is a Senior lecturer in English Language at the University of Chester and the editor of the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain. He discusses the surprisingly recent tradition of surnames in England, emerging post-1066. Parkin highlights how names transitioned from indicating landownership to becoming inherited markers of identity. He also explores the global variations in naming practices, revealing how surnames can reflect societal dynamics and personal heritage, along with some curious anecdotes about their etymology.
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Origins Tied To Land And Status
- Surnames in England began after the Norman Conquest and originally marked land and status among the Norman elite.
- They signalled inheritance and prestige before spreading as fashion to other classes.
Surnames Started As Descriptions
- Early surnames often acted as descriptive phrases like 'John de London' rather than fixed hereditary names.
- Many surnames began as simple identifiers of origin, role, or trait before becoming family names.
Rude Medieval Names Survive
- Medieval records include surnames clearly chosen by others, sometimes crude or insulting, and some survive today like Geek.
- Records even show Middle English equivalents of rude names such as 'shit pot' and 'shit bag'.
