POSTLETHWAITE
Recorded variant spellings include Postle Thwaite
Postlethwaite is a surname of English origin, most commonly associated with the British Isles. The name is locational in nature and originally referred to a place situated in the parish of Millom, within the historic county of Cumberland, now part of Cumbria in north‑west England.
The etymology of the surname is derived from two Old Norse and Middle English elements. The first element is believed to be the medieval nickname Apostle, probably ascribed to an individual who performed the part of one of the twelve apostles in a local pageant or religious play. The second element, thwaite (pronounced thwayt), is a Northern English word meaning a clearing, a piece of land, or more pragmatically a small farm. Consequently, the place name can be interpreted as “Apostle’s clearing” or “Postle’s farm”, and the surname was adopted by inhabitants of that locality.
Variations of the spelling are recorded in historical documents, including Postlethwaite, Postlewayt, Postlewhit and Postlewhite. The earliest surviving instance of the family name appears in the late sixteenth century. An example is the burial register of Ulverston Church in Lancashire, which lists Richard Postlethwaite in 1546, and the marriage register of the same church records William Postlewait and Sebell Asburner in 1547. The name is also recorded in the Guild Registers of the City of York in 1467, where a Thomas Postilltwayte is listed under the reign of King Edward the Fifteenth.
Prominent individuals bearing the surname include John Postlethwayt (1650‑1713), a Master of Arts from Oxford University who served as High Master of St. Paul’s School in London from 1697 to 1713, and Thomas Postlethwaite (1731‑1798), who became Master of Trinity College, Cambridge in 1789.
Throughout its history the Postlethwaite surname has remained closely linked to its geographical roots in Cumberland/Cumbria, and the name continues to be recognised as an indicator of ancestral origin within England.
Typical given names associated with the Postlethwaite surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Richard
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Ann
- Barbara
- Dorothy
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jean
- Julie
- Karen
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Rachel
- Sara
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Postlethwaite in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 2,007 people named Postlethwaite in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,205th most common surname in Britain. Around 31 in a million people in Britain are named Postlethwaite.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Postlethwaite
- Pete Postlethwaite - Actor (1946 to 2011)
- Harvey Postlethwaite - Engineer and Technical Director (1944 to 1999)
- William Postlethwaite - -born Member of Parliament of New Zealand (1829 to 1908)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.