Gummow

Recorded as Gumow, Gummo, Gummough, Gummow, Gummoe, and possibly others, this is an English and specifically Cornish, locational surname. It originates from a village called Gummow in Probus, Mid Cornwall, and translates as 'Little valley'. Cornish surnames are unique amongst Celtic and Gaelic surnames for being almost exclusively locational. Irish and Welsh names are almost always patronymics, whilst Scottish are almost equally divided between clan names which again are usually patronymics, locational names, and names of Anglo-Saxon spelling, if not origin. Why Cornish names should be locational is unclear, as is the fact that by and large they have not travelled "abroad" in large numbers. In this case the name whilst rare outside of Cornwall is widely recorded in its home county. Early examples taken at random from surviving church registers of Cornwall include Edward Gomowe of Pillaton, a christening witness on June 30th 1592, Florence Gummo who married William Pearce at Budock, on October 26th 1665, Frances Gummow who married Humphrey Nicoll at St Columb Minor, on October 15th 1709, and Ezekiell Gummoe who married Dorothy Cook also at St Columb Minor on April 14th 1715.