Harry Parkin

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.