Nook of Names

Continuing my series on little used surnames of English, Anglo-French and Norse origins, here are my picks from G:

Gardner

• Gache — Old French gache ‘lock’; originally used for a locksmith.
• Gardner — from Norman-French gardinier ‘gardener’. Gerald Gardner introduced Wicca to the world, and is often called ‘the Father of Wicca.’ Saw a bit of on and off use in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
• Garle – from Middle English girle ‘child of either sex.’
• Garman — from the Old English name Garmund — gār ‘spear’ + mund ‘protection.’
• Garner — a name with a number of sources. 1, from the Old German personal name Warinhari, a combination of the ethnonym Warin + hari ‘army’ and ‘folk.’ 2, from Old French gerner ‘granary.’ 3, variant of Gardner. Popped up now and again in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
• Garrick — a Huguenot surname from French carrigue ‘place covered with oaks’. Floated around between the 1960s and 90s, but never really gained a foothold.
• Garson — from Old French garcon ‘valet’.
• Garvin, Garfin — from the Old English personal name Garwine — gār ‘spear’ + wine ‘friend’. Made an appearance in the top 1000 a grand total of 3 times in the early 20th Century.
• Gaydon — from Gaydon, Warwickshire. Old English personal name Gæda + dūn ‘hill.’
• Gayne — from the Old French engaigne ‘ingenuity’ and ‘trickery.’
• Gazeley — from Gazeley, Suffolk. Old English personal name Gægi + lēah ‘wood,’ ‘woodland clearing.’ ‘glade.’ ‘pasture’ and ‘meadow’.
• Geare, Geer – from Middle English gere ‘wild,’ ‘sudden fit of passion.’
• Gellan — originated as a pet-form of Julian/Juliana.
• Gellion — from Gillian.
• Gellner – from Old French gelinier ‘poulterer.’
• Gidney — from Gedney, Leicestershire.  Old English personal name Gæda or Gydda (gæd ‘fellowship’) + ēg ‘island,’ ‘dry land surrounded by water/marsh.’ ‘well-watered land.’
• Gildon — from Old English gylden ‘golden.’
• Gillam — from Guillaume, the French form of William.
• Gilliver — from Old French gilofre ‘clove.’
• Glaston — from Glaston, Rutland. Old Norse personal name Glathr  (glaðr ‘glad’) + tūn ‘enclosure,’ ‘village,’ ‘manor’, ‘estate.’
• Gleave — from Old French gleive ‘lance.’
• Godby — from Goadby, Leicestershire. Old Norse personal name Gautí (gauta ‘to brag) + bý ‘farmstead,’ ‘village,’ ‘settlement.’
• Godin — originated as a pet-form of Old English names beginning with God- such as Godric.
• Gorley — from Gorley, Hampshire. Old English: gāra ‘triangular shaped piece of land’ + lēah ‘wood,’ ‘woodland clearing,’ ‘glade,’ ‘pasture’ and ‘meadow.’
• Graley, Grayley — from Old French greslet ‘marked as though by hail’ — i.e. pock-marked.
• Granger — from Old French grangier ‘farm-bailiff.’
• Graylan, Grayland — from the Norman-French personal name Graelent. Probably originally Norse — grár ‘grey’ + land ‘land’ — though it could also be from a Germanic cognate.
• Gresham — from Gresham, Norfolk. Old English gærs ‘grass’ + hām ‘homestead,’ ‘village,’ ‘estate,’ ‘manor.’
• Gretham — from one of the places called Greetham. Old English grēot ‘gravel’ + hām ‘homestead,’ ‘village,’ ‘estate,’ ‘manor.’
• Grissom — from Old French grison ‘grey.’
• Grosvenor — from Old French gros veneur ‘chief huntsman.’
• Grove, Groves — from Old English grāf ‘grove.’
• Gulliver — from Old French goulafre ‘glutton.’
• Guthrum — from the Old Norse name Guðormr ‘battle-snake.’
• Guyen — from Guienne, an archaic name for Aquitaine in France.
• Guyer – from Old French guyour ‘guide.’
• Guymer — from the Old German name Wigmar ‘battle-famous.’

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