Our 'surname history' database is one of the largest resources of factual information (of it's kind) in the World. It details & records precise, accurate information on over 220,000 different surnames of British and European origin.

Work on the database originally began in 1973 and, on embarking on this huge undertaking, we made use of the services of: Historians, Researchers, Libraries, Government Record Dept's, Archives, Databases: In Britain, America, and Europe. Here are just a few of the resources they used, which you may have heard of:

Burkes General Armory, Reitstaps Armorial General, Reany Book of Surnames, Hanks, Debrett's General, Govens Armory, British Public Records Office, British Library, Public Records Office (Ireland), Debrett's Peerage, British Historical Records Dept.

Finally compiled and ready for use in 1992, more than ninety individuals, and many thousands of hours went into making our database one of the most authoratitive 'surname history' resources in existence. Unlike some of the other surname 'history' related information you might find available on the internet (sometimes free) our records are 100% FACTUAL and reveal only the earliest origins & meaning of a surname.

Is this important? Yes! If it's not the earliest origin of a surname, then it cannot possibly be the TRUE origin or meaning of that name - it can only ever be a later, 'watered down', and therefore incorrect meaning of the name...