The chronicles of England, shrouded by the mists of time, reveal the early records of the name Long as a Norman surname which ranks as one of the oldest.  The history of the name is interwoven in the colourful fabric which is an intrinsic part of the history of Britain.

    Careful research by professional analysts using such ancient manuscripts as the Domesday Book (compiled in 1086 by William the Conqueror), the Ragman Rolls, the Wace poem, the Honour Roll of the Battel Abbey, The Curia Regis, Pipe Rolls, the Falaise Roll, tax records, baptismals, family genealogies, and local parish and church records show the first record of the name Long was found in Wiltshire where they were seated from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

    Many alternate spellings of the name were found.  They were typically linked to a common root, usually on of the Norman nobles at the Battle of Hastings.  Your name, Long, occurred in many references, and from time to time, the surname included the spellings of Long, Longe, and many more.  Scribes recorded and spelled the name as it sounded.  It was not unlikely that a person would be born with one spelling, married with another, and buried with a headstone which showed another.  All three spellings related to the same person.  Sometimes references for different spelling variations either came from a division of the family, or, for religious reasons, or sometimes patriotic reasons.

    The family name Long is believed to be descended originally form the Norman race.  They were commonly believed to be of French origin but were, more accurately, of Viking origin.  The Vikings landed in the Orkneys and Northern Scotland about the year 870 A.D., under their chief, Stirgud the Stout.  Later, under their Jarl, Thorfinn Rollo, they invaded France about 940 A.D.  The French King, Charles the Simple, after Rollo laid siege to Paris, finally conceded defeat and granted northern France to Rollo.  Rollo became the first Duke of Normandy, the territory of the northmen.  Duke William who invaded and defeated England in 1066, was descended from the first Duke Rollo of Normandy.

    Duke William took a census of most of England in 1086, and recorded it in the Domesday Book.  A family name capable of being traced back to this document, or to Hastings, was a signal honor for most families during the middle ages, and even to this day.

    The surname Long emerged as a notable English family in the county of Wiltshire where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated with manor and estates in that shire.  They were descended from a Norman noble of Preux in Normandy.  This distinguished name settled in Wiltshire and Henry Long, Assistant to the Lord Treasurer of England, Hungerford, settled at Wraxall.  By the 13th century they had branched to Symington, Rowde Aston, and Whaddon, and Beckington in Somerset, Monkton Farley and Bainton in Wiltshire, Preshaw in Oxford, and in the county of Norfolk.  This prolific name had branched by the 16th century to Gloucester, Middlesex, and many other southern counties.  They were elected to the peerage through Baron Farnborough but this line became extinct in 1838.  Notable amongst the family at the time was Baron Farnborough.

    The surname Long contributed much to local politics and in the affairs of England or Scotland.  During the 12th century many of these Norman families moved north to Scotland, following Earl David of Huntington who would become King of Scotland.  Later, in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries England and Scotland was ravaged by religious and political conflict.  The monarchy, the Church and Parliament fought for supremacy. The unrest caused many to think of distant lands.

    Settlers in Ireland became known as the "Adventurers for land in Ireland".  They "undertook" to keep the Protestant faith, and were granted lands previously owned by the Irish.  In Ireland they settled in county Wexford at Newross.

    The attractions of the New World spread like wildfire.  Many sailed aboard the fleet of sailing ships known as the "White Sails".

    In North America, Migrants which could be considered kinsmen of the family name Long, or variable spellings of that same family name, included Edward Long settled in Virginia in 1649; along with Henry in 1774; James in 1642; Jane in 1624; Catherine in 1635; Ralph in 1638; Richard in 1642; Robert, his wife and two sons in 1643; Captain Long settled in Boston in 1768, David Long in 1765; John in Boston in 1635, and many more to the ports of Philadelphia, Maryland, San Francisco, Delaware, Barbados.  From the port of arrival many settlers joined wagon trains westward.  During the War of Independence some declared their loyalty to the Crown and moved northward into Canada and became known as the United Empire Loyalists.

    Meanwhile, the family name was active in the social stream.  There were many notables of this name, Long; Augustus Long, American Company director; Clarence Long, American Economist; Ernest Long, Canadian Clergyman; Franklin Long, American Educator; Gerald Long, American Lawyer; Russell Long, American Attorney; William Long, British Politician.

    In the process of researching this distinguished family name was also traced the most ancient grant of Coat of Arms from the branches which developed their own Arms.

    The most ancient grant of a Coat of Arms found was:  Black with a silver lion rampant surrounded by eight crosses.  The Crest is: A lion emerging from a crown. The ancient family motto for this distinguished name is:   "Pieus Quoi Que Preux"

Scan of Postcard from Ireland

Scan of Tile from San Diego

    These days, we take it for granted that everyone has a 'surname' (also known as a "Last Name" or "Family Name"), but this was not always the case...

    Surnames were introduced at different times, in different cultures. As an example,  China were first used surnames in the year 2852 B.C., when a Chinese emperor decreed the adoption of hereditary family names.  Though, at that, the family name placed first, rather than last. Thus, the family name of Sun Yat-sen is Sun.

    The Romans had an elaborate three name system that fell along with the Empire, and by the fourth century A.D. there was nary a middle or last name to be found. Single names worked as well as can be expected for the next six hundred years.  Around 1000 A.D - stimulated by a paucity of first names - the practice of attaching a word to help identify a man was resurrected in Venice and spread first to France, then England, then Germany -- then to the most of the rest of Europe.

    When communities consisted of just a few people, surnames weren't so important. But as each town acquired more and more Johns and Marys, the need was established for a way to identify each from the other. The Romans had begun the practice of using "given-name + clan-name + family-name" about 300 B.C. In the English-speaking part of the world, the exact date that surnames began to be adopted can't be pinpointed. The Domesday Book compiled by William the Conquerer required surnames, but hereditary surnames are not considered to have been commonplace until the late 1200's.

    William Camden wrote in Remaines of a Greater Worke Concerning Britaine:(1586)

    "About the yeare of our Lord 1000...surnames began to be taken up in France, and in England about the time of the Conquest, or else a very little before, under King Edward the Confessor, who was all Frenchified... but the French and wee termed them Surnames, not because they are the names of the sire, or the father, but because they are super added to Christian names as the Spanish called them Renombres, as Renames."

    Inevitably, as the centuries passed, the towns and cities in England grew - making it clear that "commoners" would need to have surnames as well.  After all, a surname, together with a "Christian" name, was the only way of legally identifying someone at that time. Surnames were also needed so that people could prove their ownership of land & other property.

    So, over a period of about three centuries, what had started out in England as an aristocratic desire, had spread to every level of society. And by the end of the 14th century, everyone in England had a surname.  The three name system that is fairly standard among the English speaking countries is a relatively recent development.

    Surnames are an interesting reminder of the past, and tell us much more about our ancestors & family history then we may at first realise.  So, just how were surnames decided upon?  There are several categories of surnames:

    Occupational - Among the most common names are those specialty crafts and trades that were common during medieval times. The Miller was essential for making flour from grain. The Sawyer cut timber into workable lengths, with which the Carpenter could make specialty items for villagers.  Weaver, Hooper, Taylor, Palmer, Brewer, and Mason are further examples of occupations used for surnames.  Some names were a reflection of the place of employment rather than the job itself -- the name Abbott generally refers to the man who was in the employ of the abbey as a servant or other worker; the man named Bishop more than likely worked at the house of the Bishop rather than holding the position. Some names were taken as titles that were originally less occupational, such as Mayor. Some surname occupations are no longer in existance but were enough to identify a man in medieval days. This practice was commonplace by the end of the 14th century.

    Locational - The most widely found category is that which contains surnames derived from a place easily recognizable when surnames were adopted.   When a man left his homeland and moved to another country, he was distinguished from his neighbors by the identity of his homeland -- Walsh hailed from Wales, Norman was from Normandy, Norris was Norwegian. Some men were from cities well-enough known that the city was the distinguishing reference as in Pariss. Towns were used in the same fashion - Nottingham would have been for someone living in Nottingham, England - as were major rivers and geographic features - such as Hill, Geyser, Brook, Forrest, Dale.  Less obvious now are those names whichidentified a man by the location of his house. John Atwood lived at the woods, but exactly which one has long since been lost. Some place names are a little cryptic, such as Chevrolet, the French place name that means "little goat." The name referred to the picture painted on the outdoor sign at a roadside inn. Pictures were used since few had reading skills, and in that era, chevrolet referred to a place.  Other names can be traced to the exact locale where the first to bear the name kept his residence. As with the Patronymic designators, languages varied in the way a place was denoted, as in the Dutch name Van Gelder (from the county of Gelder). The Germans used Von as the French used de or De, and both often reflected aristocracy.

    Traits & Characteristics - Sometimes a man was most easily distinguished among his neighbors by a particular traits or dispositions of the bearers (Bright, Gay, Joy, Moody, Sterne, Wise) - or by some physical characteristics that were prominent when surnames began to be adopted were also borrowed as an identifier (Long, Short, Beardsly, Stout, Little, Red), or exploit (Armstrong).  Sometimes the name told its own story (Lackland, Freeholder, Goodpasture, Upthegrove) and sometimes they might have been selected to elicit envy or sympathy (Rich, Poor, Wise).

    Nicknames - Nicknames that were given by friends, relatives, or others that stuck became surnames -- some of which were so vicious, it is surprising they lasted at all. Some nicknames were extremely unflattering -- to the point of vulgarity -- but most of those have vanished, having been changed by descendants through altering the spelling, just dropped outright in favor of a more acceptable monicker, or simply by changing names after emigrating.

    Patronymic and Matronymic - Names that identify the father are termed Patronymic surnames. Rarely, the name of the mother contributed the surname, which is referred to as Matronymic origin.  The Scandinavians added "son" to identify John's son, David's son, or Erik's son. Usually the "son" affix is attached to a baptismal name, but it is also possible to attach it to the father's occupation (e.g., Clerkson).  The Norman-French used the prefix "Fitz" to mean child of, as in Fitzpatrick, for child of Patrick. Many other cultures had their own prefixes to indicate of the father's name, including the Scots ('Mac'Donald), Irish ('O'Brien), Dutch ('Van'Buren), the French ('de'Gaulle), Germans ('Von'berger), Spanish/Italian ('Di'Tello) and the Arab-speaking nations ('ibn'-Saud). Sometimes the prefixes were attached to places rather than the father's name, such as traditional family land holdings or estates.  Sometimes a patronymic is simply the father's given name (Thomas, Edward) or its genitive form (Edwards).

    About one-third of all US surnames are Patronymic in origin, and identified the first bearer of the name by his father (or grandfather in the case of some Irish names).  In some cultures the patronymic varies according to the sex of the child receiving it:  in Russia, where everyone has a patronymic as well as a given name and surname, sons receive a patronymic ending in -ovich (e.g., Ivanovich) and daughters a form ending in -ovna (e.g., Ivanovna). A similar situation holds true in Norway.

    Acquired and Ornamental - Some names were simply added when those without a surname suddenly needed one. A lady-in-waiting for royalty might have had no traditional surname, but would require one if no longer in the service of royalty. In times of political turmoil, a deposed ruler might require a smaller staff, and long-time servants would find themselves among commoners -- and suddenly in need of a surname. Names were sometimes invented as combinations of other words.   Such names were simply made up, and had no specific reflection on the first who bore the name. They simply sounded nice, or were made up as a means of identification, generally much later than most surnames were adopted.

    There are other sources for surnames as well, but most can be placed into one of the above categories -- one way or another.

    Many of the surnames we know today are just mis-spellings of original surnames.  Over the centuries, as surnames were recorded, writers & officials would often write the name down incorrectly - thereby creating a new surname.  For example, Joseph Neilson (Neil's son) may have been mistakenly been written as "Nelson", thus creating a new surname for his decendants.

    Surname formation can often reflect the history and biases of culture. In Spain, partisanship and family pride entered into the process: the first family names originated from the war cries of Christians during the Moorish invasion. Swedish surnames reflect the Swedes' love of nature, incorporating words such as berg ("mountain") and blom ("flower"). In Russia, after the Revolution, many families shed the surnames derived from degrading peasant nicknames (e.g., Krasnoshtanov, "red pants") and adopted names such as Orlov ("eagle").

    In some cultures the generalized use of surnames did not occur until the 20th century:  in 1935 a Turkish law went into effect making surnames mandatory. Jews were late in adopting surnames and often were compelled to do so. Because they were frequently barred from adopting names used by Christians, some simply chose compounds that sounded good, e.g., Rosenthal ("rose valley"). Others were assigned names expressive of the dominant culture's contempt (e.g., Eselskopf, "donkey's head").

    In the present, there's no real need for new surnames to be created (with the exception of hyphenated names).  Surnames are now simply passed from one generation to the next.  But, this was not always the case, especially when surnames were first introduced.  As an example, William Farmer may have been a farmer by trade. But his son might have been called Peter Williamson! (William's son...). This confusing state of affairs (in England, at least) was eventually changed into the hereditary process we know today, where a surname is simply passed from one generation to the next.

This Page built using Netscape Composer

This page updated:  29 December 2000