Leith-Harvey

Leith-Harvey
Double-barrelled surnames, usually created following a marriage between two families, have no overall meaning as a unit, but the separate parts have their own meaning and derivation. In this instance, Leith is of medieval Scottish origin, and is a locational name from the coastal town of Leith near Edinburgh, which is so called from the river at whose mouth it stands. The river name is derived from the Gaelic "lite", meaning "wet", omparable to the Welsh "llaith", damp, moist. Gilbert de Leth, "Custumar" or collector of customs in Edinburgh in 1327, was the first recorded bearer of the name. One, William de Lethe was burgess of Aberdeen, which he represented in parliament in 1367. The surname Harvey has two distinct possible origins; firstly, it may derive from the Old Breton personal name "Aerviu" or "Haerviu", composed of the elements "haer", battle, carnage and "vy", worthy. This name was introduced into England by Breton followers of William the Conqueror and appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Herve". It may also be an Anglicized form of the Old GAelic Irish "O HAirmheadhaigh", "descendant of Airmheadhach", a byname thought to mean "herder of cattle". Notable namebearers were William Harvey who discovered the circulation of the blood circa 1616, and Sir James Leith (1763-1816), lieutenant-general, 1813; governor of the Leeward islands 1814 and G.C.B., 1815. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Hervi, which was dated 1190, in the "Kalendar of Bury St. Edmunds", Suffolk, during the reign of King Richard 1st, "Richard the Lionheart", 1189-1199. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Marshall Harvey Stone — Born April 8, 1903 New York City Died January 9, 1989 Madras Citizenship …   Wikipedia

  • James Leith (VC) — Major General James Leith VC (born 26 May 1826 in Glenkindie, Aberdeenshire; died 13 May 1869 in Paddington, London) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy… …   Wikipedia

  • golf — golfer, n. /golf, gawlf/; Brit. also /gof/, n. 1. a game in which clubs with wooden or metal heads are used to hit a small, white ball into a number of holes, usually 9 or 18, in succession, situated at various distances over a course having… …   Universalium

  • Edinburgh — For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). City of Edinburgh Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Èideann Scots: Edinburgh   Unitary Authority City   City of Edinburgh …   Wikipedia

  • ARIA Music Awards of 2007 — The 21st Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) were held on October 28, 2007 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex, thus continuing the previous… …   Wikipedia

  • Dundee East (UK Parliament constituency) — Not to be confused with Dundee East (Scottish Parliament constituency). Dundee East Burgh constituency for the House of Commons …   Wikipedia

  • National Association of Evangelicals — NAE Logo The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals. Its goal is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States. Today it works… …   Wikipedia

  • New Town, Edinburgh — Old and New Towns of Edinburgh * UNESCO World Heritage Site …   Wikipedia

  • Jessica Mauboy — Jessica Mauboy, publicity shot, July 2009 …   Wikipedia

  • Morayshire Railway — [v · d · …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”