Villin (and Villan) referred to a commoner (the villein, as we have it today), though there could have been few reasons to single out such a man, unless he was a servant in a noble household. The meaning was clearly ‘a dwelling near the ferns’ and the surname was later derived from this. It is a hybrid of the Old English fearn – a fern and the Danish suffix – by, indicating a settlement, or even a farmstead. An early bearer of the name was Nicholas de Sallowe, mentioned in the Shropshire Rotuli Hundredorum of 1254.įernsby also appears to be diminishing in frequency. It is strictly speaking a ‘location’ nickname, and derives from the Old English word for the willow, sealh. Sallow (as distinct from the plural form of the surname, Sallows) was the common mediæval word for the willow tree, and would have been applied to one whose dwelling was near to such a tree or a copse of them. So if your surname is amongst the rare or presumed extinct names listed below – we’d love to hear from you!īRITISH SURNAMES ON THE BRINK – with under 20 bearers We’re also seeking the general public’s help to confirm whether surnames thought to be extinct have truly disappeared and, if so, just who the last bearers were. Here we reveal these names and the origins and history of each.Īre you searching for more information on your surname? Research your surname from MyHeritage’s billions of online records. We’ve identified the rarest British surnames: unusual last names that have lingered for centuries but are on the cusp of extinction (with just a handful of bearers), endangered (with under 200 bearers), or now missing, presumed extinct. If your surname is Bread or Spinster…then we will be surprised as you’re presumed extinct! Read more to find out! Do you have a rare surname? Could your family be amongst the final bearers of near extinct British surnames? If your surname is Miracle, Villan, Relish or Tumbler for example, then you’re a dying breed in Britain.
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