For anyone interested in family history or in tracing the origin of a name in England, this is the standard guide. It covers the origin and meaning of over 16,000 surnames, giving detailed information on early name-forms and how names have changed over the centuries. Alternative forms of names are cross-referenced to make it easy to find variants. An authoritative introduction sets in context the popular topic of name-studies, and guides the reader through the history and linguistic background of English surnames. In a new appendix for this revised edition, the distinguished family historian, Professor David Hey (author of the new Oxford Companion to Local and Family History), gives advice on how to locate the home of a family name. He explains, with examples, how to discover the current distribution of a name and how to trace its origins using the various sources of information available in the UK.