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Victorian Era Last Names

What is the origin of Victorian era last names?

It is said that new last names were created during the Victorian era. There were various reasons and one of them being migration. The English had migrated to Ireland and settled there. But they were not able to speak, read or write Irish Gaelic and new last names were to be formed. The Irish surnames are not what they were formerly.

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Victorian era surnames
Victorian era Last names

Thus the immigrants of the Victorian era changed their names and new last names were added onto the pages of Victorian era surnames.

Last names do not go in and out of fashion like given names. While given names are chosen, last names are passed along from generation to generation, so the surnames of today are not much different from the ones used in Victorian times.

Not uncommonly Victorians recycled family surnames, for instance inserting the mother’s maiden name as a child’s middle name. This applied to both boys and girls, which meant you, might be named along the lines of John Butterfield Smith or Louisa Jefferson Jones. Sometimes those family surnames were used as given names, as well, so a boy might be named something like Fitzhugh Smith.

Girls were also given virtuous names, such as Hope or Charity. Names were often handed down, too, so you might see an extended family tree with a Christopher Columbus Jones found in each of three or four consecutive generations. Likewise, you might see a middle name reoccurring time and again, which was often an ancestors name or surname.

In class-bound Victorian England, where the film Doctor Doolittle is set the opportunities were practically nil for those with idlers and hobos in their genealogy, even if many generations back, to penetrate a socio-economic stratum that enjoyed access to advanced academic training.

Indeed, during the latter half of the 19th century, the vast majority of the English population was illiterate and the middle school graduation rate among those of humble lineage never broke 20 percent.

It is believed that last names acquired a status in England around the twelfth and the thirteenth century. It was only then it was decided that last names should be made hereditary. Hence in a family tree, the last name occurred in consecutive generations.

Many historians have often associated last names with the Victorian era, but we can never conclude that last names were unique during the Victorian era. Tennyson, Kipling, Browning, Dickens, Gladstone and Disraeli were some of the popular last names during the Victorian times.

Below is the common Victorian last names list

Ashdown

Brewer

Down

Forge

Gedge

Griggs

Kaylock

Lynch

Adams

Beechworth

Blair

Brewer

Devitt

Hyem

Sheills

Stanbury

Urwin

Vinge

Wakefield

Yea

mast

rowe

Sinnett

Strain

Wakefield

Wickes

Wraith

Younger

Chattoway

Kidd

Kenward

Dosett

Godwin

Gunn

Hawk

Hayward

Whittock

Seymour

Strong

Hopkin

Weston

Whitlock

Whiston

Whipple

Highmore

Ashmore

Baldwin

Halbard

Suggest some fancy Victorian first names

Here are some fancy first names from Victorian times

What about Honor, Willow, Mercy; Mary, Katherine, Dorothy as ladies names?. For men, think about Jack, Chase, Colton, Lucas, Vernon, and William.

See more information about names & last names in Victorian Era

Victorian Boy’s Names

Victorian Era Girl’s names

Victorian Last Names

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Names of Writers, Scientist and Artists and the

Random Victorian name and lastname generator