These names could be based on a person’s height or appearance or even sporting or mental attributes. While it’s unlikely to have inherited these traits, some of them do live on, such as in families with many redheads.
Armstrong- someone with strong arms
Brown- descendants of someone with brown hair or eyes
Campbell – someone with a crooked mouth
Cameron- someone with a crooked nose, Scottish in origin
Grant- someone who is tall, name is of French origin
Some families had strong ties to the landed gentry, working on the same estates for centuries. A few may have eventually taken the name of the lord or manor where they worked their whole lives. But, the landed gentry could also be known by the name in their title, which could also change over time as new lands and estates were inherited.
Beauchamp– means “beautiful land” and is derived from English and French names. During the Norman conquest Hugo Beauchamp was given 43 titles
Ernle- from the Earnley lands in Sussex, has numerous spellings
Staunton– one of the first English names to be used in Ireland, means “stoney farm”
Windsor- famously taken as the surname of King George V and his descendants, origins in the Norman conquest and the keepers of Windsor Castle
These names followed a tradition common to many areas wherein the family would be named for their leader. This applied for both patriarchs and matriarchs and included nicknames, too, which can be confusing for anyone doing research all these centuries later. Included in this section are Sottish or Irish clan names, which in turn may also have place name or other meanings.
The phrase “patron of the arts” and others come from the old practice of nobles and wealthy folks donating money for a cause. This could be for creative endeavors or it could have been giving funds our resources to an orphanage or it could have been sponsoring a single child or family so that those from the lower classes could raise above their lowly status in life. Long before we had fundraising dinners and philanthropic organizations this is how those in the upper crust contributed to the less fortunate. Sometimes recipients would take on the surname of their donor as if they had been a parent.
Crawford– meaning “crow” (craw) and river crossing (ford), a place to cross the river where crows nest, Scottish in origin
Donaldson- someone of Donald, a shortened form of “Donald’s son”
Douglas- named after Douglas in Lanarkshire, Scotland, can also refer to a dark stream
Emmott- from Emma
Forbes- means “field”, can also refer to a prosperous man
Mariott- from Mary (or the diminutive Mariot in the Middle Ages)
Molson- from Mary (nicknamed Moll)
Stafford- means “landing stage by the ford” but can also refer to people from Staffordshire or someone who worked for someone with Staffordshire in their title
Stewart/Stuart/Stweard- means sty-warden or keeper of the farm or manor