Welcome to the new version of the British Surnames website. Here, you can find information on similar surnames, most common surnames, surname distribution maps as well as surname meanings and etymologies

As the name suggests, this site primarily lists surnames commonly found in Britain, but many of these are found in other parts of the world as well - so even if you're not British, your name could well be in here!

To get started, browse for surnames alphabetically or by category. Or use the search box to find a surname.

A fresh presentation

This is the updated version of the British Surnames website, previously published at britishsurnames.co.uk. As well as moving to a different domain name, we've taken the opportunity to improve the presentation of much of the material and include new material.

What's new

Better maps - we've replaced the original static images with a new overlay version using the Leaflet mapping library that you can zoom into and scroll around.

New surname descriptions - we've commissioned a set of entirely new descriptions of the most common surnames, with more to follow in the future.

A better and more responsive layout - the new site is intended to work better on mobile devices such as phones and tablets as well as PC screens.

What's stayed the same

We still have all the data from the old site, including the 1881 census distribution of each surname as well as contemporary distribution patters, as well as popular features such as the random name generator.