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This book provides the reader with detailed insight into the origins and occurrence of common Welsh surnames, together with some consideration of those surnames that are associated with particular locales, thus helping to suggest a likely place of origin within Wales. The opening chapters of the book give a 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.


EDITORIAL REVIEWS

"...a skillful study..."--THE PENNSYLVANIA GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINE, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 81-82.

"...masterful new study...an excellent example of how the efforts of family historians are making a significant contribution to wider historical understanding...The Surnames of Wales is highly recommended for genealogical, onomastic, research, and public collections."--AMERICAN REFERENCE BOOKS ANNUAL, Vol. 28 (1996), p. 164.

"This book should be required reading for any American genealogist with ancestry in Wales."--THE NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, Vol. 127, No. 4.

"...a most excellent survey of the surnames in the Principality."--JOURNAL OF CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY HERALDIC AND GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, Vol. 1, No. 3.