TIL What's in a Surname: Dictionary of 50,000 Surnames and Their Or...

If your surname is "Holister" and you had wondered whether it was a word to refer to a brothel, you may have been right!

The newly published Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland states that the word is derived from the old French word holier meaning "adulterer" or ''lecher'.

Pages of the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland [Photo Credit]

Richard Coates, professor of linguistics at the University of the West of England (UWE), said there was great interest in the origins of family names, and also stated that,

“Our research uses the most up-to-date evidence and techniques in order to create a more detailed and accurate resource than those currently available.”

The study concludes that nearly 40,000 family names are native to Britain and Ireland, while the remainder reflect the diverse languages and cultures of immigrants who have settled since the 16th century, including French Huguenot, Dutch, Jewish, Indian, Arabic, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and African arrivals.

Sources for the post and further reading

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TIL What's in a Surname: Dictionary of 50,000 Surnames and Their Origins Published