New study on the origins of names

The Guardian has an interesting article on a four-year study by linguists and historians which analysed family names by looking at British and Irish records back to the 11th century . Whilst the theory of the origin of many names, such as Smith, has not changed some have been reassessed. The work, The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, has been published in four volumes and will be available in public libraries with a subscription. The original article can be viewed www.theguardian.com/science/2016/nov/17/dictionary-of-50000-surnames-and-their-origins-published