What does my Suffolk surname mean and where is it from?

A lot of local surnames actually date back to the 11th century, with many family names first recorded in the Domesday Book. 

“The Domesday Book is the first census in this country, and it’s when we started seeing surnames being registered for the first time in a very big way,” explains local historian and surname expert Charlie Haylock. 

“Gradually, through time, surnames became registered through a variety of ways in pipe rolls, Curia Regis rolls, the Hundred rolls, the Assize courts, land transactions, Royal Charters, and more.” 

Here, Charlie reveals the origin of just a few more local surnames, from the letters N to P, explaining their meanings and where they come from. 

Nesling  

“This surname was recorded in the 1524 Suffolk Subsidy Rolls as Nicholas Nestlyng and later in 1674 in the Suffolk Hearth Tax as Peter Nestlyn and also Widow Neslin,” explains Charlie.  

“It appears that up to 1881, this surname had only been recorded in Suffolk. It’s an Old English and Middle English name, meaning either a ‘nestling’ (a young bird too young to leave the nest), consequently referring to perhaps a youngest child, or from the Old English ‘nestlian’, which means ‘to make a nest or home’, and could therefore refer to a house builder.” 

Orford  

Orford was first recorded as Richard de Oreford in 1191 in the Suffolk Pipe Rolls and literally means ‘Richard from Orford’.  

“People only got a village or town surname when they left the village or town, not while they were living there – and the derivation of the placename Orford is not as it seems,” explains Charlie.  

“It comes from the Old English ‘ōra ford’, a ford by the shore or flat-topped ridge, most probably referring to a causeway across the marshes (the River Ore was then named afterwards and is known as a back formation).” 

READ MORE: What does your Suffolk surname mean? Letters L to M

Orris/Oris/Orriss 

Recorded in 1668 in the Suffolk Subsidy Rolls as William Orice, the name comes from the Latin ‘Horatius’, a Roman family name which was brought over from Italy to England during the English Renaissance and originally meant ‘timekeeper’. 

“Taking words from Italy was not unusual, and the English adopted roughly 10,000 words and names from the Italians. During the Middle English period, Italy was the centre of culture, fashion, science, architecture, medical advancement, and the Roman Catholic Church. The rest of Europe tried to copy the Italians - even Shakespeare wrote many plays based in Italy including Romeo and Juliet and Merchant of Venice. Many adopted words and names from Italy were anglicised, added into the English vocabulary and became part of the everyday English language,” explains Charlie. 

Ortis  

Recorded in 1327 in the Suffolk Subsidy Rolls as William de Artoys, this is an anglicised Norman French name meaning ‘from Artois’ in France.  

“It was then anglicised even further in various Suffolk Subsidy Rolls – including John Artes in 1524, Thomas Arteis in 1568, and in the Suffolk Hearth Tax records as Robert Artis in 1674, and eventually to Ortis by 1881.” 

Orvis  

“This is a Suffolk dialectal variation of ‘orphreys’ from the Norman French ‘orfreis’ meaning ‘a dealer in orphrey or gold embroiderer’. Orphreys are broad bands used on priests’ albs and knights’ robes. In 1182 and 1183, Henry II of England spent lavishly on orphreys. The Norman French ‘orfreis’ derives from abbreviating medieval Latin ‘auriphrygium’, which in itself was formed by a combination of aurum (gold) and phrygius. The Phrygians, from present-day central Turkey, were famed in antiquity for their gold embroidery. The surname Orvis is therefore metonymic for a gold embroiderer.” 

Oxfoot  

Oxfoot was first recorded in Suffolk in 1199 in the Charter Rolls as Godwin Oxefot. “It’s an Old English nickname for someone with large feet like an ox, and comes from the Old English ‘ox(a) fōt’.” 

Pakenham  

“This surname was first recorded in 1196 in Bury St Edmunds as William de Pekenham, which literally translates as ‘William from Pakenham’. It is another example of obtaining a placename as a surname once someone has left to go somewhere else. The village name was first recorded in 946AD well before the Domesday Book in 1086AD, and means ‘a homestead settlement belonging to a man called Pacca’, from the Old English ‘Paccen hām’.” 

Papillon  

Papillon was first recorded in 1095 in Bury St Edmunds as ‘Turoldus Papilio’ from the Norman French papillon’, meaning butterfly. “It is also a nickname for someone who flits around being inconsistent,” adds Charlie.  

Pannifer  

Pannifer is the Suffolk dialectal variation of the surname ‘Pennyfather’, and was first recorded in Suffolk in the 1749 Pipe Rolls. “The surname originates from Old English ‘penig (pronounced ‘penny’) foeder’, meaning ‘penny father’, and was a nickname for a miser.” 

Perebourne  

“This surname was recorded in 1229 in the Suffolk Feet of Fines (the court procedure for a land or boundary dispute) as Walter Perbrun, and comes from Old English ‘pere brūn’ meaning ‘pear brown’, and is a nickname for someone with a tanned complexion.” 

Pettingale 

“Pettingale is from the Middle English word ‘Portingale’, meaning ‘from Portugal’. It was first recorded in 1201 in the Suffolk Curia Regis Rolls as Walterus filius Portingalliae, which literally translates as ‘Walter, son of the Portuguese’.” 

Pilborough/Pilbrow  

“The 1881 distribution surname map shows the name as predominantly Suffolk, and it’s one of the many Suffolk surnames that derive from a ‘lost village’. There are nearly 100 lost villages in Suffolk and Pilbrow/Pilburgh/Pilborough is one of them. It was in the Bosmere Hundred and derived from Old English ‘Pileberga’,” explains Charlie. 

“The reasons for a lost Suffolk village include coastal erosion (like the villages of Slaughden and Minsmere), villages being decimated by the plague with the survivors moving elsewhere, and landowners turning from arable to sheep farming with a large reduction in the workforce (which resulted in people then moving away to find work and the village dying). There were also emparking and enclosures in the 1700s and 1800s. This is where landowners took over common land including villages which were raised to the ground and the inhabitants had to move on.” 

Pinner 

“This surname does not mean from Pinner in Middlesex, and the 1881 distribution surname map shows the name as very Suffolk and common in the Ramsholt area. It’s actually an occupational surname for someone who makes pins (such as big wooden pins for carpentry and joining), especially in boat building, as in the derivation of the hamlet called Pin Mill in Chelmondiston.” 

Playford

This surname was recorded firstly in 1130 in the Suffolk Pipe Rolls as Fulcher de Pleiforda, which translates as ‘Fulcher from Playford’, and is another example of getting a placename surname after leaving the village.  

“Playford the village goes back further, and was recorded in the Domesday Book as ‘Plegeforda’ (pronounced ‘playa forda’). The ford where sport and games took place comes from the Old English ‘plega ford’ and is another example of the letter ‘g’ being pronounced as a ‘y’.” 

Pulfer  

The 1881 distribution surname map shows Pulfer as a Suffolk surname and common in Little Welnetham. “It comes from Old English ‘pulver’, which means ‘one who grinds powders’. At first for medicinal purposes, but later it also meant gunpowder.” 

Pung  

The 1881 distribution surname map shows Pung as a Suffolk surname and common in Bricett. “Stemming from the Old English ‘pung’, it means ‘purse’ or ‘pouch’ and is a metonymic surname for a maker of purses and pouches.”