Name:

Origin:

Glenn

Recorded as Glenn, Glinn, Glyn, Glynn, and Glany,

Glenie, Glennie and Glenny, this can only be
described as a surname of the British Isles. It has
several possible national origins. Firstly it may be
Cornish or Welsh from any of the places called
Glyn or Glynn, such as Glyn Dyffryn, near Corwen,
in Merioneth; or Glynn on the river Fowey, in East
Cornwall. These placenames derive from the pre
6th century word glin or glyn, meaning a valley.
Secondly it can be Scottish, and again locational
either from Glen, a place near Peebles, or from the
lands known as 'Glennie's Parks' near Braemar, in
Aberdeenshire, with Angus Gleny being the first of
the name and recorded in the year 1408. Again the
ancient word 'glen' is a form of the even earlier
'glyn' meaning a valley. Thirdly it may be quite
different and Irish. If so it is from the pre 10th
century Gaelic "Mag Fhloinn", meaning the son of
the ruddy faced one from flann meaning red or
euddy.

McNamara

This famous Irish name hails from County Clare

where it is extremely prevalent. The sept of
MacNamara was, after the O' Briens, the most
important and powerful of the dalcassians of
Thomond. They were hereditary marshals to the O'
Briens and had the privilege of inaugurating the
chief of the O' Briens, who was often a king. The
Irish form of this name is MacConmara and is
derived from the words 'cu', hound and 'na mara' of
the sea, and was once connected with the
forename Cumara, which was the name of the
ancestor of the sept who was twenty-third in
descent from Cormac Cas, King of Cashel (900908). The sept in due course became two, the
chief of West Clancullen, MacNamara Fyne (i.e.,
'fionn', fair) and the chief of East Clancullen,
MacNamara Reagh (i.e., Riabhach swarthy or
grizzled).

Mager

This is an ancient medieval Dutch-German

surname, but of much earlier pre 7th century
origins. It is a nickname derived from the word
'meger' and meaning a tall, thin, person, or
possibly given the robust humour of the 14th
century, the complete reverse! Nicknames form a
very large group within the European surnames
listings, and it is estimated that at least one in
seven of all surnames are from this source. It is not
entirely clear as to when the first recording took
place, but Hainrich dictus Mager of Uberlingen, is
so recorded in the charters of that place in the year
1295. Other early examples from surviving rolls
and charters of Germanic origins, and showing the
development of the compound forms with suffix,
include Nikolas Magermann with the translation of
'The servant (mann) of Mager' recorded in
Greifswald in 1320, and the similar Hans
Magerhermans, in another compound spelling,
appears in the charters of Irslingen in 1388.

Inman

Recorded as Ingman, Innman, Inman, Henman

and possibly Hyman, this is an English medieval
surname. It normally derives from the Medieval
English occupational word "Innman", and as such
describes an innkeeper. If so the origin is the pre
7th century word "inn" meaning a lodging place
where alcoholic beverages were served, plus
"man", in this case a keeper or foreman. The
surname was first recorded in the late 14th
century, occupational surnames being amongst the
first to be recorded but the last to be hereditary.
They usually only became so when a son or
sometimes a grandson, followed the father into the
same line of business. It has also been suggested
that the surname derives from an Old English pre
7th century personal name Ingemund, a
compound of "Ing", the name of a minor Norse god
of fertility, plus "mund", protection, however this is
not been proven.

Gonzales

This famous surname recorded in the spellings of

Gonzales, Gonzalez, Gonzalvo, Gozalo,
Gonzalvez, Gosalvez, Goncaves, and Gonzalo, is
usually accepted as being of Spanish or
Portuguese origin. However in truth like so many
Iberian surnames, its origins are Germanic. In the
5th century the Visigoths from Eastern Germany
conquered the whole region, sweeping down from
the Baltic and across the Pyrenean mountains into
the Spanish Peninsula. Their legacy today is often
found in the surnames, and these surnames
themselves have crossed the ocean to the
American continent. In this case the development
is from the early German baptismal name
'Gundisalvus', which loosely translates as 'the
battle field or battle place', a typical example of a
warlike name so popular in the period.

Hunt

This ancient surname is of pre 7th century English

origins. It is usually an occupational surname for
one who hunted wildlife for a living. In the Middle
Ages the term "hunter" was an official title, and
there were different categories from game hunters
on foot to the mounted huntsmen, who pursued
stags and wild boar. The penalty for hunting
without permission in the royal parks, could be
death. The word "Hunta" was sometimes used as
a personal name. It appears in the placenames
"Huntingdon" and "Huntingfield". These translate
as "Hunta's Hill" and "the land of the Hunta
people."

Makenzie

Makenzie (like Mckenzie) is a variant form of the

name Mackenzie, derived from a notable Scottish
surname, which originated from the older Gaelic
name "MacCoinnich" (or son of Coinneach, also
son of the bright one). Coinneach was a personal
name that came from the Gaelic word meaning
"comely, good-looking.