Tom Jones is the hero of Henry Fielding's novel of the same name (later made into a film) and the adopted name of a famous Welsh singer. This story explores how these people got their names.

The Coquet rises in the Cheviot Hills and flows about forty miles to the North Sea at Amble. The name Coquet looks French, but along with many river-names it has a long and winding history.

Silver coins and jewellery and other treasures appear in English place-names – but all that glisters is not gold!

This family name story explores the history of the most common family name in Britain, Smith, and some of its relations.

Explore name studies with SNSBI, connecting researchers and enthusiasts across Britain and Ireland through research, publications and events.

Where does the surname Attenborough come from?

This story explores the ways in which Old English tūn was used in place-names and traces how tūn developed from a word meaning 'enclosure' or 'fence' to become the most commonly used element in Englis...

Place-names are not always what they seem! This tale of three place-names containing 'Easter' – from Scotland, England and Polynesia – shows how different and surprising the origins of apparently simi...