The Surnames Of Wales For Family Historians And Others Book

It is the purpose of this book to provide the reader with a detailed insight into the origins and occurrence of common Welsh surnames, together with some consideration of those surnames which are associated with particular locales, thus helping to suggest a likely place of origin within Wales. The opening chapters of the book give an historical overview of Welsh names, dealing, in particular, with the patronymic naming system and the gradual adoption of surnames. The central chapters include a comprehensive survey of Welsh surnames and an all-important glossary of surnames. This is the core of the work, as it provides the origins and history of surnames from the viewpoint of family history, and also shows the distribution and incidence of surnames throughout Wales. The final chapters cover such items as the distribution of surnames derived from the ap prefix, the incidence of surnames derived from Old Testament names, and surname evidence for the presence of people of Welsh origin in populations outside Wales. Nearly forty maps, drawn by the authors, show the incidence and distribution of typical surnames throughout Wales.