Skip to main content

Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • English and Scottish : habitational name from places near Manchester, in Berwickshire Dumfriesshire, and elsewhere, all named from the British word that lies behind Welsh eglwys ‘church’ (from Latin ecclesia, Greek ekklēsia ‘gathering’, ‘assembly’). Such places would have been the sites of notable pre-Anglo-Saxon churches or Christian communities.

Join the Family

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe