English Surname Meaning & Origin
What the English last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the English last name
Meaning of the English last name: an Englishman. English is a surname for an Englishman, given to someone living among people of another nation, such as in Scotland, Wales, the border country or medieval Ireland. In England itself it could mark someone of native stock in an area with many Normans or Scandinavians. A curious detail of this surname origin: a last name meaning "the Englishman" only made sense far from home.
Arms associated with the English name
A blazon is the short formal description of a coat of arms, written in old heraldic French, and arms associated with English families are described the same way.
Get your full English family history
This is only a glimpse of the English story. The full English history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted English coat of arms. Get the full English report.
English name FAQ
What does the English name mean?
An Englishman. Common variants include Inglis, Englishe, Englis.
Where does the English surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Ireland and Scotland.
Is there a English coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized English coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland.