County Surnames

Do you have any of these surnames in your tree?

BYFORD

This name is particularly common in the borough of Colchester.

DOWSETT

Essex, and specifically Ilford, is a Dowsett hotspot.

GENTRY

This surname is derived from the Old French word genterie.

MUNSON

The highest concentration of this Munn patronymic is in Colchester.

OWERS

This name is common in Durham, Chelmsford, North-East London and Colchester.

PLAYLE

Essex once boasted about half of all of the Playles found in the UK.

POLLEY

According to the 1881 census, Polleys were usually agricultural labourers.

ROOT

The name has many derivations, such as the Middle English rote meaning ‘cheerful’.

SMEE

This name is a variant of ‘Smead’.

SPURGEON

One Essex namesake was Charles Spurgeon, a Baptist preacher and writer who founded the children’s charity Spurgeons.