The adoption of first names as family names in Britain is where the development of surnames began. These surnames were adopted as a result of conquests, immigration, occupations, geographic locations, and other factors.
Even though their patronymic names made up most of these last names, some also have topographical or habitational roots.
Common British Last Names or Surnames
1. Adams/Adamson
Having English and Scottish origin, Adams or Adamson is a common surname derived from the given name Adam meaning 'Son of Adam'.
2. Wilson
Wison, the seventh most common surname in England is common in the English-speaking world and is of English, Scottish, and Northern Irish surname with numerous origins such as Old Norse and Germanic. This British last name refers to the 'Son of William'.
3. Burton
An English surname with habitational (England) origins refers to 'A town in Leicestershire.
4. Harris
The British name and last name Harris is a common surname predominantly originating in England and Wales meaning 'Son of Henry'.
5. Stevens
An English language last name Stevens was brought to England after the Norman Conquest and refers to 'Son of Steven'.
6. Lewis
The British last name, Lewis has several independent origins such as England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland in the English language. The meaning of Lewis is 'Renowned' or 'Famous battle'.
7. Robinson
The English language patronymic family name Robinson means 'Son of Robin' whereas Robin means 'Fame bright'. It is the 15th-most common surname in the United Kingdom.
8. Walker
The 18th most common surname in England originated as English, and the German surname, Walker refers to 'One who walked on raw'.
9. Payne
Payne is an English family name that originated in France and England and means 'Rustic' or 'Countryman'.
10. Baker
A common surname of Old English origin and Scotland refers to 'dry with heat'.
11. Owen
The UK surname Owen is the variant of Welsh personal name Owain and the meaning of Owen is Noble' or 'Youthful'.
12. Holmes
Holmes is an England last name with several origins including Old English, Middle English, and Old Norse which means 'Island'.
13. Chapman
An English surname derived from the Old English occupational name ceapmann which means 'Merchant' or 'Marketman'.
14. Webb
An English and Scottish surname Webb translates to 'Weaver of cloth'.
15. Allen
Originating from Ireland and common in England, Wales, and Scotland, Allen is a variation of the surname MacAllen which means 'Little rock' or 'Handsome'.
16. Jones
Jones is a common last name in Wales which is of Welsh and English origin. It is the variations of loan, lowan, and lwan meaning 'Son of John'.
17. Davidson/Davies
A patronymic surname, Davidson is a variation of Darvey, Davidian, and Davids. The meaning of British descent last name is 'Beloved Son'.
18. Foster
The British last name derived from the name Forster refers to one who 'Works in the forest'.
19. Matthews
The Hebrew-origin surname originated from the forename Matthew means 'Gift of Yahweh'
20. Graham
A family name, Graham is of Scottish and English roots which means 'Gray homestead'.
Unique and Rare British Last Names or Surnames
21. Sallow
Sallow is the last name in English derived from the Middle English word sawle which means 'Sallow tree'.
22. Fernsby
A rare Victorian last name of Old English origin Fernsby means 'Fern farmstead'.
23. Villin or Villan
The meaning of the Villin surname is 'a dwelling near the ferns' which was derived from the English origin name Villan which referred to commonder.
24. Miracle
Miracle is of Welsh origin and derived from the Latin personal name Mauritius which translates to 'Dark'.
25. Dankworth
Dankworth is the last name from England formed from the German forename Tancred and combined with Old English worth means a 'Farmstead'.
26. Relish
English last name Dankworth meaning 'Great enjoyment' or Enjoy greatly'.
27. Macquoid
Macquoid, the last name was an Anglicized form of the Gaelic root Mac Aodha which means 'Fire'.
28. Loughty
The last name in England Loughty means 'by a small lake' and is derived from the Scottish surname Lauchair.
29. Birdwhistle
The rare British surname Birdwhistle was named from the Old English words bird or brid meaning 'Nestling' or 'Twissel'.
30. Culpepper
Derived from Middle English, Culpepper was first written 'de Colepeper' in the century in Kent, England meaning 'Select' or 'Gather'.
31. Tumber
Tumbler is the English last name of ancient British origin that signifies the profession and means 'Tumbler dancer', 'Saltator', or 'Tumbere'.
32. Bread
Derived from the Old English word braedu and the Middle English word bred, the unique British surname refers to a 'form of Braid'.
33. MacCaa
A surname in some English-speaking countries MacCaa refers to 'Son'.
34. Spinster
The meaning of Spinster is 'an unmarried woman' that comes from the Middle English.
35. Pusset, Puscat, and Pussmaid
The name of Norwegian and Old English origin Pusset, Puscat, or Pussmaid refers to 'a Sougar'.
36. Bythesea and Bytheseashore
The British last name founded in 1891, Bythesea is derived from the Old English word seoh which means 'Inland lakes' or 'Pools'.
Royal British Last Names or Surnames
37. Cromwell
The English surname Cromwell comes from the village Cromwell, Nottinghamshire which means 'Spring' or 'Stream'.
38. Howard
A royal English last name comes from a Germanic source similar to Old High GermanHugihard' and translates to 'Heart-brave' or 'High defender'.
39. Markle
The habitational name from Markle in Lothian, Scotland, or from Little Marcle in Herefordshire, England, Markle means Boundary'.
40. Middleton
The family name comes from a locational Anglo-Saxon surname originating from dozens of different settlements in England.
41. Stanley
The last name Stanley is derived from the Old English word stan and is a locational name meaning 'Stone' or Stone-filled meadow'.
42. Tudor
Derived from the Brythonic Tudur, it is a given name and surname of Welsh origin which means 'People' or 'King'.
43. Wettin
The surname comes from the name of the town of Wettin, situated in the districts of Saalekreirs in Germany but found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1891 and 1920.
44. Windsor
It is the last name of the present British royal family who were adopted in place of Wettin in 1917 as a response to anti-German feelings during WWI. It translates to 'Slope', 'Hill', or 'Wind' and derives from Old English roots.
45. Alpin
The family name is the ancestor of the Alpin family comes from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada refers to the 'Son of the blond one' or 'Son of Alpin'.
46. Balliol
The family name comes from the root of the English word bailey means 'Fortification' and was born by an aristocratic English family descended from French nobility.
47. Barclay
Barclay means 'Birch tree meadow'. It is a surname with Scottish and English origins as a habitational last name.
48. Bruce
Bruce is the family name of Scottish and French origins which is also common among a Ghanaian family of Accra of Euro-African ancestry. The meaning of Bruce is 'Generous'.
49. Agnes
The last name is English, French, Hungarian, and Greek origin and means 'Holy' or 'Pure'.
50. Augustus
The interesting royal family name is derived from the Latin and English personal name Augustus meaning 'Venerable'.
51. Bernadotte
The English, French, and Old German origin surname Bernadotte refers to 'Strong' or 'Brave bear'.
52. Ferdinand
Ferdinand is of English, French, German, and West Indian and comes from an ancient personal name farthu and nanths meaning 'Journey expedition' or 'Daring brave'.
Cool or Elegant British Last Names or Surnames
53. Clarke
The family name of English and Irish origin Clarke comes from the Latin clericus which means 'Clerk'.
54. Griffiths
The last name British such as Griddiths is of Welsh origin and derives from the given name Gruffudd. Similarly, it refers to a 'Strong lord'.
55. Knight
An English last name Knight is found in many countries. It was ranked 88th in England in 2014. The meaning of the Knight is 'Serving land'.
56. Young
Young is of Englan, Scotland, and Northern Ireland origin surname and is derived from the Middle English Yunge and Yonge literally means 'The young one'.
57. Evans
The surname and male name of Welsh and Cornish origin Evans means 'Son of Evan' and is the tenth most common in England.
58. Morris
With various origins through frequently of English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish, Morris ranked 53 out of 88,799 in the United States and 32 out of 500 in England and Wales. The surname refers to 'of the Marsh'.
59. Gray
Frequently found in Scotland, Ireland, and England, a last name in English means a 'man with grey hair'.
60. Jenkins
Originated in Cornwall, Jenkins is popular in Southern Wales and originally refers to 'Son of Joh' or 'Little John'.
61. Hughes
An English language surname Hughes is of Welsh, Scottish, and French origins which means 'Fire'.
62. Morgan
England's last name Morgan is of Welsh, Irish, and Scottish ancestry and translates to 'Sea born'.
63. Hall
A surname of Scottish and Irish descent originated in the Celtic nations of Scotland and Ireland. The meaning of Hall is 'Someone who lived in or worked in a hall or manor house'.
64. Anderson
A surname deriving from a patronymic meaning 'Son of Ander or Andrew' which is of English origin.
65. Lawrence
Originating from English and Scottish descent, Lawrence is an England last name derived from Middle English or old French given name Laurence meaning 'from Laurentium'.
66. Enfield
Enfield is a family last name with numerous notable people including Andy Enfield, an American basketball coach, and Harry Enfield, a British Comedian.
67. Cole
The British family name Cole is of English origin and is also used as a given name. The surname is of Middle English origin and translates to 'Coal-black' or 'Swarthy'.
68. Edwards
The 14th most common surname in Wales and the 21st most common in England, Edwards is of English origin and refers to 'Son of Edward'.
Most Popular British Last Names or Surnames
69. Wright
An occupational surname Wright originating in England. It comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word wryhta or wyrhta translates to 'Worker' or 'Maker'.
70. Scott
Scott is a common British surname which is originating in Scotland. The meaning of Scott is 'Man from Scotland'.
71. Simpson
The English and Scottish patronymic surname comes from the medieval masculine first name Simme which means 'Son of Simme'.
72. Armstrong
Armstrong comes from a Middle English nickname and is of Scottish border origin. It signifies the 'Son of a strong man'.
73. Bailey
An English and Scottish last name Bailey means 'to deliver' which is the variant form of Baily, Bailie, and Baillie.
74. Butler
This family name has been associated with many different places and people with the meaning of a servant in charge of the wine cellar'. Butler, an English occupational name originally comes from the Norman French word builder.
75. Clark
An English language surname originated from the Latin with historical relates to England, Scotland, and Ireland Clark means 'Scribe'.
76. Cooper
27th most popular surname in England, Cooper also originates in England and translates to 'Barrel maker'.
77. Jones
The common British last name Jones is of Welsh and English origin meaning 'Son of John'.
78. Miller
Miller also written as Millar are the last names of English, Scottish, Irish, and German origin. The 17th common surname in the United Kingdom, Miller refers to 'Miller'
79. Smith
An occupational surname Smith originates in England and is the most prevalent surname in the United Kingdom and the United States. It translates to 'to smile'.
80. Taylor
The family name Taylor is of English origin which comes from the Norman occupational surname meaning 'Tailor'.
81. Thomas
It is a common surname of English, Welsh, Scottish, and German origin meaning 'Son of Thomas'.
82. Russell
Russell also spelled as Rosel, Russel, or Rossel means 'Red' or 'Toponymic. The surname is of England, France, Scotland, and Ireland origins.
83. Wayne
An old English surname Wayne means a 'Craftsman', Wagon driver, or builder'.
84. White
A surname either of English or of Scottish and Irish roots, White is the seventh most popular surname in England. It refers to 'White or Blonde hair'.
Old British Last Names or Surnames
85. Webley
The habitational name from a place of Herefordshire name Weobley comes from the Old English personal name Wibba and Leah meaning 'Woodland clearing'.
86. Blankley
The family name Blankley is derived from a geographical locality that means 'of Blackley'.
87. Trollope
Trollope is derived from a geographical locality and refers to 'Trollop'.
88. Dome
The English surname is a pet form of the personal name Demeter and comes from the Middle English root meaning 'Administering of justice' or 'command'.
89. Cantrell
The family name of English and French origin comes from the Old French word chanterelle meaning 'Small bell' or 'Treble'.
90. Hyland
The topographic name for someone who lived on high ground or by land where hay was grown is referred to Hyland. This last name is of Scottish and English in origin.
91. Lofton
The last name and the first name Lofton come from when the family lived in the village of Lofthouse during the reign of King Alfred in 900 AD. Lofton means 'One who lives in a loft'.
92. Tedder
Derived from the Middle English personal name Thedere or Teddere, Tedder is an English name that translates to a 'person whose occupation was to spread mown grass for drying'.
93. Glasscock
The surname comes from the Old English root glaes is the habitational name of Glascote near Tamworth in Staffordshire. It refers to 'glass' or 'shelter'.
94. Rayfield
The meaning of Rayfield is 'Dweller at, or near, the river field' that originated from a Middle English form of an unrecorded Old English personal name Raeweald.
95. Latham
Derived from the Old Scandinavian surname, Latham originates from a place called Latham meaning place of or by the barns'.
96. Alston
Alston is both a male given name and a surname with several derivations. In the English language, the last name refers to 'Noble Stone' or 'Temple Stone' and comes from the British Isles.
97. Bradley
In Old English, the English surname Bradley means 'Broad wood' or 'Broad meadow'.
98. Barlow
Barlow is an English family name that is related to the place of the same name in Derbyshire and translates to 'Lives on the bare hill'.
99. Boreham
An Old English locational surname Boreham originates from a place called Boreham in the county of Essex, Sussex, and Hertfordshire which means 'Hill Homestead'.
100. Ashmore
The old British surname is of English locational origin from a place called Dorset. The meaning of the last name is 'Moor', 'Marsh', or 'High tract of barrenground'.
101. Blackmore
The surname comes from the Middle English name blak, blakke, and mor which denotes 'Someone with dark complexion'.
