Edited by Azizi Powell
This post is part of a continuing pancocojams series on names and naming practices in the Caribbean.
This post provides extensive excerpts from one online articles about common Black Bajan* surnames (last names) and from one online article about common Black Caribbean last names.
*"Bajan" is a referent for people from Barbados, West Indies.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.
I'm quoting this article to help preserve and disseminate this information.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
This post is dedicated with love to my maternal grandparents Samuel Nathaniel Banfield and Daisy (Nurse) Banfield who immigrated to Atlantic City, New Jersey from Barbados in 1905 or 1906.
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TYPICAL BAJAN LAST NAMES
Article Quote
From http://www.loopnewsbarbados.com/content/25-most-common-surnames-barbados "The 25 most common surnames in Barbados" November 20, 2015
Pancocojams Editor's Note: This article was also published at http://www.candoo.com/surnames/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=6293 (Post by bimjim Nov 21, 2015) where I read it.
"What's in a name?
Did you know that some people do not have a surname/last name?
In fact, in some parts of the world it is common for people to have a mononym or only one name. The concept of having a surname is a Western concept and a relatively recent historical development that originated during the Middle Ages, or what some call ‘the dark ages”.
Surnames/last names are usually given based on a person’s geographic location or occupation. Surnames usually establish family connections or other relations; hence it is sometimes referred to as a “family name.” Persons interested in conducting genealogical and historical record research usually use their surname as a starting point.
Today, Loop is sharing with you the 25 most common surnames in Barbados, according to information from Forebears, a reference website that specialises in genealogical records.
1. ALLEYNE – There are an estimated 3,893 people in Barbados with this surname. Are you one of them? The name comes rom the name of an ancestor – ‘the son of Alan or Allen’.
2. CLARKE – The name comes from ‘clerk, a clergyman, a scholar, one who can read and write’ and is most prevalent in England, where some 89,337 people are recorded with this surname.
3. BRATHWAITE - This name was derived from a geographic location in the north of England. It is most prevalent in the US (4,046), Barbados (2,985) and Trinidad & Tobago (1,402).
4. GRIFFITH – There are approximately 124,993 people in the world with this surname, which originates from Wales. The vast majority of them is in the US (90,891), followed by England (7,184), Canada (4,192), Australia (3,136), Barbados (2,675), Guyana (2,281) and Wales itself (1,761), among other locations.
5. FORDE– This Anglo-Saxon name is believed to be topographical in origin, referring to a ford – a shallow place in a river where crossing was possible. It is most commonly found in the US, Ireland, England and Barbados.
6. HOLDER – There are an estimated 2,435 people in Barbados with this surname, which is derived from an occupation. According to ancestry.com, this could refer to an “occupational name for a tender of animals, from an agent derivative of Middle English hold(en) ‘to guard or keep’… It is possible that this word was also used in the wider sense of a holder of land within the feudal system.”
7. BOYCE – The name comes from ‘del Bois’ living by or in a wood and there are an estimated 1,977 people in Barbados with this last name.
8. JONES – There are over 1 million Jones in the United States and it's the 207th most common surname in the world. With 1,962 in Barbados, we are far from keeping up with the Joneses; yet, it’s the eighth most common surname on the island. It means the son of John.
9. KING – Meaning head or leader, there are an estimated 1,907 Barbadians with this surname.
10. SEALY – After the United States (4,553), you’ll find the most Sealys in Barbados – some 1,869 of them. The name means simple or innocent.
11. HINDS – This is also a common surname in the US, England, Jamaica, Australia and Canada and is a name derived from the name of an ancestor.
12. MARSHALL – The literal meaning of the name is ‘horse-servant’ and some 1,776 people in Barbados are part of this group. The United States has the most Marshalls.
13. WILLIAMS – A derivative of William, this name is the third most common surname in England and Wales. There are over 54,000 Williams in Jamaica, some 14,000 in Trinidad & Tobago and just 1, 745 in Barbados.
14. GITTENS – A variant of the Welsh name Gittings, 1,737 people in Barbados bear the name; topped only by the United States, where 3,207 have this surname.
15. MAYERS – Derived from the name Mayer, which is found in English/German/Dutch culture. There are approximately 18,268 people with this name in the world – 1,698 of them are in Barbados.
16. CUMBERBATCH – Meaning from the town of Comberbach in England, the number of people with this surname in the United States (1,937); Barbados (1,683) and England (1,027) is very similar.
17. BROWNE – A name derived from a person’s complexion, hair colour or clothing. There are 1,613 people with the name in Barbados.
18. HAYNES – A name of English origin, there are 1,582 people with this surname in Barbados.
19. BLACKMAN - A baptismal name originally derived from the personal quality of a dark complexion.
20. BEST – There 1,481 people with the surname Best in Barbados, while they exist in the tens of thousands in Ethiopia, England, Nigeria and the United States.
21. SMALL – A descriptive name for a person of slender build or diminutive stature, there are 1,466 people in Barbados with this last name. Around the world, the majority of them reside in countries of the Commonwealth.
22. SMITH – The name is derived from an occupation – in this case, someone who works with metal. It is the 117th most common surname in the world, borne by over 4 million people. In Barbados, there are 1,442.
23. SPRINGER – According to ancestry.com, the name is of English, German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic) origin and refers to a lively person or for a traveling entertainer. One in every 200 people in Barbados is a Springer.
24. HUNTE – Derived from the occupation of huntsman, only about 7,350 bears this name in the world and 1,419 of them are associated with Barbados.
25. JORDAN – According to ancestry.com, “At the time of the Crusades it was common practice for crusaders and pilgrims to bring back flasks of water from the river in which John the Baptist had baptized people, including Christ himself, and to use it in the christening of their own children. As a result Jordan became quite a common personal name.” There are 1,403 Jordans in Barbados."
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Forum Discussion
[Pancocojams Editor's Note: I've assigned numbers to these comments.
Additional comments from this discussion that refer to other Caribbean nations will be quoted in a subsequent pancocojams post whose link will be included in this post.]
From http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f6/what-most-popular-last-names-your-island-101921/ "Thread: What are the most popular last names on your island?"
1. 09-14-2005, elq
"popular Barbados surnames:
ALLEYNE
BRAITHWAITE"
**
2. 09-14-2005, Sugar Apple
Quote Originally Posted by elq
popular Barbados surnames:
ALLEYNE
BRAITHWAITE
"TrueTrue but you forget Franklyn....almost everybody from ST. Philip is a Franklyn"
**
3. 09-14-2005, sabriya
Quote Originally Posted by elq
popular Barbados surnames:
ALLEYNE
BRAITHWAITE
"You are def. right..but in addition to yours is Holder"
**
4. 09-14-2005,
VINCYPOWA
"Ley me HELP out the BAJANS dem...how about WEEKES????"
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From http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f6/what-most-popular-last-names-your-island-101921/index2.html
5. 09-14-2005, Licorishbajan
"Well yes WEEKES is real popular. My family is made up of a lot of WEEKES's but also LASHLEY."
**
6. 09-14-2005, elq
"look in de phone book
"http://www.cw.com/new/
Ah fuhget Callender and Greenidge
http://www.barbadosyp.com/whitebook.html"
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From http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f6/what-most-popular-last-names-your-island-101921/index3.html
7. 09-14-2005, Bake n Shark
"I noticed a trend with the bajan names...kinda confirmed something I observed from way back and always pegged as being bajan....adding an 'e' to the end of the name.
For instance:
Hoyt= Hoyte
Weeks= Weekes
Brown= Browne
Alleyn= Alleyne
...as for TnT, I dunno...never really study it like dat, but it sure have nuff iterations of Singh, Maharaj/Maraj, John, Joseph, Lee...
-snip-
"TnT" = Trinidad & Tobago
Note that some commenters had previously written that they weren't including the Indian or Chinese names from Trinidad & Tobago in this particular discussion thread.
**
8. 09-14-2005, malikceeph
"Lawddd EVERY bajan I know has Holder as the last name, and they don't know each other at all......."
**
From http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f6/what-most-popular-last-names-your-island-101921/index4.html
9. 09-14-2005, elq
[Quoted comment # 7]
"let me explain this a bit more
Allen/Allan is americanised form of Alleyn/Alleyne which was derived from spelling of the Old English ALLYN.
the Old English use of the vowels were not as common as you see in modern english."
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From http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f6/what-most-popular-last-names-your-island-101921/index5.html
10. 09-15-2005, GWADA-BAJE
"Common Surnames in Barbados
Don't know how wunna could fuhget CLARKE but anyway...
The surnames of most Barbadians are either of British or Irish origin. However, many ethnic groups such as the Syrians, Indians and the Chinese also tend to keep their own surnames.
A
Adams, Alexander, Applewaite, Applewhite, Allamby, Alleyne, Allman, Als,Archer,Armstrong, Arthur, Atherley, Atherton, Altkins, Atkins, Atkinson,Altman, Austin
B
Babb, Bailey, Baird, Baker, Banfield, Bannister, Barker, Barnes, Barnett, Barrow, Bartlett, Bascombe, Bayne, Beckles, Belgrave, Bellamy, Belle, Benn, Benjamin, Bennett, Benskin, Bentham, Best, Bishop, Blackett, Blackman, Blades, Blenman, Bourne, Bovell, Bowen, Boyce, Bradshaw, Branch, Brancker, Brathwaite, Brewster, Broome, Broomes, Browne, Bryan, Bullen, Burgess, Burke, Burnett, Burrowes, Burton, Butcher, Bynoe
C
Cadogan, Callender, Campbell, Carmichael, Carrington, Carter, Chandler, Chapman, Chase, Clark, Clarke, Cobham, Codrington, Collymore, Connell, Coombs, Coombes, Coppin, Corbin, Cox, Cozier, Crawford, Crichlow, Cumberbatch, Cummins
D
Dalrymple, Dash, Daniel, DaSilva, Davis, Dawson, Dear, Defreitas, Degia, Denny, Depeiza, DeSilva, Devonish, Dottin, Douglin, Dowell, Downes, Drakes, Durant
E
Eastmond, Edey, Edghill, Edwards, Elcock, Ellis, Estwick, Eversley
F
Farley, Farmer, Farnum, Farrell, Fenty, Ferguson, Fields, Ford, Forde, Foster, Forte, Francis, Franklin, Franklyn
G
Gaskin, Gay, Gibbons, Gibbs, Gibson, Gilkes, Gill, Gittens, Glasgow, Goddard, Gooding, Goodridge, Graham, Grannum, Grant, Greaves, Green, Greene, Greenidge, Griffith
H
Hackett, Hall, Harding, Harewood, Harper, Harris, Harvey, Haynes, Headley, Herbert, Hinds, Hinkson, Holder, Hollingsworth, Hope, Howell, Hoyte, Hoyos, Humphrey, Hunte, Husbands, Hutchinson.
I
Ifill, Innis
J
Jackman, Jackson, James, Jarvis, Jemmott, Johnson, Jones, Jordan, Joseph
K
Kellman, Kinch, King, Kirton, King, Knight
L
Lashley, Lavine, Lawrence, Layne, Leacock, Leslie, Lewis, Lorde, Lovell, Lowe, Lucas, Lynch
M
Maloney, Mapp, Marshall, Martindale, Mascoll, Mason, Massiah, Mason, Massiah, Matthews, Maughn, Maycocks, Mayers, Manard, McCarthy, McClean, McDonald, McIntosh, Medford, Miller, Mitchell, Moore, Morris, Moseley, Murray
N
Neblett, Nelson, Newton, Nicholls, Nichols, Niles, Norville, Nurse, Nowell
O
Odle, Olivierre, O'Neale, Osbourne, Oxley
P
Padmore, Parris, Payne, Perkins, Persaud, Pilgrim, Pinder, Pollard, Powell, Prescod, Prescott, Proverbsm
R
Ramsay, Redman, Reid, Richards, Riley, Roach, Robinson, Rock, Rollins, Rouse, Rowe, Rudder, Russell
S
Sandiford, Sargeant, Scantlebury, Seale, Sealy, Shepherd, Shorey, Simmons, Simpson, Sinckler, Skeete, Skinner, Small, Smith, Sobers, Spooner, Springer, Squires, St.Hill Straker, Straughn, Stuart, Stanford
T
Taitt, Taylor, Thomas, Thomspon, Thorne, Thornhill, Thorpe, Toppin, Trotman, Tudor, Tull, Turton
V
Vanderpool, Vaughan, Vaughn,
W
Wade, Waithe, Walcott, Waldron, Walkes, Walker, Walton, Ward, Warner, Warren, Waterman, Watson, Watts, Webster, Weekes, Welch, Went, Wharton, White, Whittaker, Wickham, Wiggins, Wilkinson, Williams, Willoughby, Wilson, Wood, Worrell
Y
Yarde, Yearwood, Young
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From http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f6/what-most-popular-last-names-your-island-101921/index6.html
11. 09-15-2005, brotha bel
[Quoted comment #10]
"I think you got them all exept for my maternal grandfather's name: Garner"
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From http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f6/what-most-popular-last-names-your-island-101921/index7.html
12. 09-15-2005, The Captain
"In Barbados my last name, Stoute is in high numbers."
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Visitor comments are welcome.
Here's an excerpt of a obituary for Cecil Brathwaite, Jr whose name was changed to Elombe Brath
ReplyDeleteFrom http://www.reunionblackfamily.com/apps/blog/show/42426139-a-fare-well-to-elombe-brath
..."This tribute honors Elombe Brath for his half a century of relentless dedication fighting for justice and humanity on behalf of the Global African Communities….
Elombe Brath fought for decades in supporting SWAPO’s [the South West Africa People’s Organization] armed struggle to win Namibia’s freedom from apartheid slavery. Elombe did everything he could to support SWAPO leader Sam Nujomo. Like Amilcar Cabral — the leader of the liberation struggle in Guinea-Bissau...
Like Malcolm X, Elombe Brath was a truth teller. His weekly radio show on WBAI — Afrikaleidoscope — was an educational weapon that reached thousands weekly with the latest news of struggles in Africa and the Diaspora. Afrikaleidoscope was also filled with beautiful music by African and African-American artists. Elombe Brath was a lover and collector of music, particularly of jazz. Led the Patrice Lumumba Coalition...
But how come the name Elombe Brath? It was the result of a suggestion of Thomas Kanza, the top diplomat of the Congo, appointed by Patrice Lumumba, head of the government of the former Belgian Congo around 1960s.
Kanza had exchanged ideas with Cecil Brathwaite Jr and found him an articulate pan-African advocate, jazz enthusiast, radio producer and historian of African culture and politics and suggested the Bajan change his Christian name to Elombe which he said meant “all knowing.”. The rest is history. Most people whose surname is Brathwaite are routinely called “Brath” as a term of endearment. Hence, the new name Elombe Brath.”
Another source tht was cited in this article is http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/seen-up-north-paying-homage-to-freedom
-snip-
I added the italics to highlight that sentence.
There were three Black women teachers in my junior high school whose last name was "Pilgrim". [This was in the late 1950s in Atlantic City, New Jersey.] I remember my mother telling me that although we weren't blood relatives of the Pilgrim family, we were connected to them because they came from Barbados just like our family.
ReplyDeleteI also recall several (Black) girls and boys named "Braithwaite" who attended school with me and also a family of Weeks. Although my family wasn't close with any of these families, I recall being told that we were also connected to them because their relatives came from the same island as my (maternal) grandparents.
As an adult I conversed with a Black woman in Pittsburgh whose last name is "Springer". Somehow we got to talking about where our relatives are from. When I told her that my grandfather and grandmother were from Barbados, she asked me what their last names were. When I told her "Banfield" and "Nurse", she confirmed that those were common [typical] Bajan names.
I'm re-reading this comment October 31, 2019 as a result of a comment that was posted on that date and need to correct something I wrote on July 6, 2016:
DeleteMy maternal grandmother was from Barbados. Her maiden name was Nurse. However, my maternal grandfather was from Trinidad. His last name was Banfield. We have documentation that they emigrated to Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1899. I think that they came to the USA (or to Atlantic City, New Jersy) along with at least one person from Barbados whose last name was "Pilgrim".
I live near the village of Comberbach! And most locals now say the first syllable as if it rhymed with 'tom', not 'tum': the spelling used in Barbados actually preserves the older pronunciation.
ReplyDeleteThe 'bach' part comes from an Old English word for 'stream', and the first part either from a man's name, 'Cumbra', or more likely from a word for 'Welshmen' - Comberbach is not far from the border with Wales, so a small settlement of Welsh-speakers living there a thousand years ago would be no surprise.
The Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge used 'Comberbache' as his alias when he ran away and joined the army under a false name in 1793. I've always wondered why - it's a fairly rare name in England and he lived at the other end of the country from here.
Hello, slam2011.
DeleteThanks for that information!
Anyone with Bajan Cumberbatch connections - a London genealogist called Bob Cumberbatch, whose dad was born in Greenwich Village, St James, Barbados, has done a great family history site tracing different branches of this family:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cumberbatch.org/index.php
Sorry, still can't make my links work ;)
http://www.cumberbatch.org/index.php
DeleteHere's a hyperlink that shows how to make a hyperlink with html code http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_links.asp
DeleteHere's how to do it (putting what that page shows in words)
1. start by typing the "less than" symbol
2. right next to that symbol, type a href=
3. type a quotation mark after the equal symbol
4. copy the internet address that you want to make into a hyperlink and paste it right after the quotation mark
5. type a quotation mark
6. follow that by typing a "greater than" symbol
7. then copy and paste the internet address again
8. follow that by a "less than" symbol, then a forward slash / symbol, then the letter a and close it with the less than symbol
Enjoy!
http://www.cumberbatch.org/index.php
DeleteWe'll see...When I press 'Publish' the link should work, right? Here goes...
http://www.cumberbatch.org/index.php
DeleteWhoo hoo! SUCCESS!!!
ReplyDeleteYEAH!!!
DeleteHere's a link to a Wikipedia article about [Edward] Kamau Brathwaite who was born 11 May 1930, Bridgetown, Barbados): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamau_Brathwaite
ReplyDeleteHere's a brief excerpt of that page:
"Kamau Brathwaite is widely considered one of the major voices in the Caribbean literary canon. A professor of Comparative Literature at New York University, Brathwaite is the 2006 International Winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize, for his volume of poetry Born to Slow Horses.
Brathwaite holds a Ph.D. from the University of Sussex (1968) and was the co-founder of the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM). He received both the Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships in 1983, and is a winner of the 1994 Neustadt International Prize for Literature,...
Brathwaite is noted for his studies of Black cultural life both in Africa and throughout the African diasporas of the world..."
I would like to share a nice list of unique barbados baby names with meaning and numerology. Collection is really appreciable.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.babynamescube.com/barbadian-baby-name
Thanks, Linda for sharing that link to a Baby Names Cube website about Bajan personal names.
DeleteI'm curious how these names were compiled.
The links for the Barbadian girl names and Barbadian boy names work, but the links for the top 100 Barbadian female names and the top 100 Barbadian male names don't work.
King Charles I granted a huge parcel of land to the scions of his Master of the Royal Bedchamber,Richard Harding,causing that surname to become one of the more popular(if not infamous) names,(Burning Mr.Harding)
ReplyDeleteThanks for that information, rick smiff.
DeleteI am looking for any Fields family in Barbados. My oldest known paternal ancestor was in Barbados around mid 1600's. Several generations stayed in Barbados and their may still be some Fields family there. Most of them migrated to the USA early to mid 1700's. I actually have a Y-DNA match in Barbados from an anonymous male donor to the 1000 genome DNA project. The donor is African/Caribbean. Any information please let me know.
ReplyDeleteBret, I hope that you receive information as a result of someone reading this blog or otherwise.
DeleteI am descended from the brathwaite family of Three Houses plantation in St Phillips.
ReplyDeleteI am researching into their history in barbados and especially the first Brathwaite John Brathwaite who arrived in 1679, I think. He brought Three Houses in 1685. Any input very welcome.
Unknown, I hope that you receive information as a result of someone reading this blog or otherwise.
DeleteAs somewhat of an aside, I went to school (in the 1950s to the mid 1960s in Atlantic City, New Jersey) with an African American boys and girls whose last name was Braithwaite.
Hi...I noticed that the surnames Howard, Scott and Craig are missing from the list. Is this an error? I have relatives with the Howard surname still alive in Barbados.
ReplyDeleteHi, Shelly.
DeleteThanks for sharing information about the surnames Howard, Scott, and Craig in Barbados.
I don't think these lists are official. but are compiled by people who visited those blogs/discussion forums.
I don't know whether or not those websites accept new comments as additions to their lists.
Best wishes!
I noticed that the surnames Chance is not mentioned in the list provided, my grandmother emigrated from B/dos in the early 1900 for what was known as British Guiana
ReplyDeleteThanks for that information, Harold Abrams.
DeleteI don't know if additional names can be added to that website's list. However, it's good to know that Chance is also a Bajan surname.
There are too few"Chance" families to bother to mention,Many people fr other islands made stopovers to B'dos while working on the (Panama) canal
DeleteI noticed there isn't any reference to "Lowe". My greatgrandfather, left Barbados(from St. Michael's Parrish) immigrated to the Danish West Indies(St. Croix) at the turn of the 20th century. He didn't speak much of "home" to his children or his grandchildren(my father). On St. Croix, he was also referred to as "Clarke", we always assumed that he was called such due to being an employee for a Clarke or living on a Clarke's property(a custom on St. Croix). But, in trying to do our family tree, we can't seem to find any information on St. Michael "Lowes". After doing some research, I found "Clarke or Clark" to be a popular name, with a large grouping in that parrish.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any information on the Lowe surname? Please feel free to contact by email, I found this blog in a search. Thank you and One Love.
Unknown, I'm sorry that I don't know anything about this subject beyond what I've read online.
DeleteHopefully, someone reading your detailed comment will have information that they can share with you.
Bless up!
Lowe is a common,even popular surname in Barbados.
DeleteThanks for sharing that information rick smiff.
DeleteI appreciate it. Please feel free to add other information about Bajan culture here or you can email me at the address given in my profile.
Bless Up and One Love
ReplyDeleteBless Up and One Love to you too, Unknown.
DeleteSorry. I'm just seeing this comment.
Richard Harding was the master of the bedchamber for Charles II.He was granted land in Barbados where he grew sugar cane and indigo
ReplyDeleterick smiff, thanks for sharing that information.
DeleteHi my family name is Murray from rock dundo. Would be good to know if there is still any of the murray family there.
ReplyDelete