Origins of island surnames

How islanders got their family names

A name may have buoyancy enough to float upon the sea of time.{b}

The surnames on St Helena are as interesting as the ancestry of its people

If you want to trace people who are or were on St Helena, our page Family And Friends may be helpful.

Commonest names and their origins

The island’s surnames seem to come from several distinct sources:

• Some are ‘enslaved names’. The enslaved were always known by a first name only (not, of course their original name - a ‘Christian’ one given to them by the slave-trader or their master). When the enslaved was given their freedom the common practice was to generate a surname from the first name of the previous owner. Examples include ‘Thomas’ and ‘Benjamin’.

• Others are straightforward British surnames. These would have been handed down from Settlers, either brought out as Planters when The East India Company first settled St Helena in 1673 or from later émigrés who came here from the UK.

• Some have obvious Chinese origins, from The Chinese Labourers who were here from 1810 until the late 1830s, many of whom subsequently settled.

• More have their origins in Dutch/Afrikaans and originate in the Boer PoWs brought here at the beginning of the 20th Century, many of whom intermarried and settled.

• Others will relate to those who emigrated here from many different places over the 350 years since the island was settled.

• Still more still may attribute their name to short-term residents, maybe members of the Garrison or even sailors passing through, who fathered children during their time on St Helena.

Based on an empirical survey{2}, the commonest surnames and their probable origins are as follows (in descending order):

⋅ Thomas: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Henry: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Yon: Chinese origins ⋅ Williams: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Benjamin: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Peters: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Leo: Probably from Dutch (Leon), i.e. Boer origins ⋅ George: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Stevens: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Joshua: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Fowler: English, from Settlers ⋅ Crowie: Unknown ⋅ Francis: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Constantine: English, from Settlers ⋅ Lawrence: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Young: English, from Settlers ⋅ Duncan: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Clingham: Unknown ⋅ Green: English, from Settlers ⋅ Coleman: English, from Settlers ⋅ Richards: ‘Enslaved Name’ ⋅ Moyce: English, from Settlers ⋅ Phillips: English, from Settlers

It should be noted that many names would have been corrupted over the years. Imagine a Colonial official attempting to record the surname of a baby, and faced with parents with a strong accent and who were barely literate so could not check what he wrote. What the parents said and what was written down may well have been at variance{3}. Even today, allowing for a strong accent, it can be hard for some listeners to tell whether someone is giving their name as ‘Yon’ or ‘Young’.

It also does not follow that two people who share a surname are necessarily related. An owner called, say, Thomas Smith, may have possessed two unrelated enslaved people. Upon emancipation, both would have acquired the surname Thomas.

The names above are pronounced as you would expect from written English, but be aware that if you see the surname ‘Scipio’ it’s pronounced with a silent ‘c’ - sipio not sKipio.

Studying the Census of 1814 we find the following families listed{4}:

Adam; Adams(2); Alampus; Alexander(3); Alexworth; Armstrong(2); Arresto; Bagley(7); Baildon; Balcome; Banks(2); Barker; Barnes; Barret; Bateman; Bayes; Bazett; Beale(2); Beard; Bedwell; Bell; Bennet; Blake; Blenkins; Boorman; Booth; Bouldrick; Boyles; Boys; Brabanon; Bradshaw; Brady; Braid; Broadway(2); Brooke; Bryson; Burnham(2); Burnside; Bush; Butler; Caldwell; Callender; Carr; Carroll(3); Chadwick; Chamberlain; Chaplain; Chentry; Chippendale; Clarke(2); Cocks; Cole; Coles; Connolly; Constantine; Cotton; Coupland; Cranfield; Crawley; Crisp; Cro(u)t; Croft; Cruikshank; Cunningham; Dacey; Delang; DenTassell; Desfountain(4); Dixon(2); Do(21); Dogherty(2); Doveton(2); Dowlain; Dray; Dring; Eager; Ellis; Enley; Everton; Fallan; Fitsormmons; Ford; Fowler(2); Frith; George(2); Giles; Goodison; Goodwin; Gough(2); Green; Greenland; Greentree; Gregg; Griffiths; Gunnell; Gurling; Gutteridge; Hall; Harper; Harquishymer; Harris(2); Harry; Hawes; Hayes(2); Hayssard; Hazlewood; Henry; Higgins; Hill; Hodson(2); Honeyman; Hubbard; Hunter; Isacke(4); Jacks; Jackson; Jennings; Johnson(2); Jones(2); Julios; Kay; Kelly; Kennedys; Killin; Kinnaird; Kirkham; Knipe(4); Lamb; Lambe; Laurence; LeBriton; Leech; Lees; Legg; Lester; Lowden; Mason(2); Matthewson; May; McCail; McDaniel; McDougal; McKenzie; McPike; McRitchie; Mead; Mealy; Merchant; Mills; Mittens; Morre; Moyce; Nettleport; Newton; O’Connor(2); Oliver; Paige; Perkins; Phillips; Pieri; Piploe; Porteous; Pritchard(2); Renton; Rich(2); Richards; Richenbach; Rimmer; Roberts; Robertson; Robinson; Roofe; Rooks; Rourke; Sampson; Sanders; Schendler; Scott(3); Seale(6); Sealer; Seales(2); Seawell; Semolon; Shaw; Shirtler; Shortes; Simpson; Singleton; Slator; Smart; Smith(3); Soloman; Spratt; Stewart(2); Steyne; Stratham; Susan; Suter; Taylor(2); Thomas; Thomson(2); Thorn; Torbett(3); Tracey; Truebody; Turner; Ward; Watson; Weston; Wheatley; Williams; Wills; Wilson; Wrangham; Wright(4); Yon(2); Youde; Young(5)

The first English settlers

{c}Two ships, the European and the John & Alexander, set sail from England in December 1673, bound for St Helena with the aim of settling the island.

All the old Planters formerly settled on the said Island, & now bound thither, shall be repossest of their severall houses & plantations w’ch formerly they enjoyed, in the condicon they shall be found at the arrival of these shipps, and that all new Planters, shall upon their arrivall have twenty Acres of Land rough & plaine, sett out unto them, by the Gov’ & Councell for each family to build and plant upon it, and that all the plantaicons, both to the old, and new Planters, be conveyed to them, their heirs, and assignes for ever. That besides the said porcon of land, each family shall have two Cowes.

The full list of settlers aboard these two ships is as follows:

• Capt. Antho: Beale; Elinor his wife; Richard his sonne; Mary his daughter; and seven servants - 11

• Wm. Gates; Bridget his wife; William & John their Children; Eliz. Palmir their servant - 5

• James Easting; Anne his wife; Thomas and James their Children; Anne their servant - 5

• John Walls; Bridget his wife; Dorothy Draper servant - 3

• John Greentree; Mary his wife; Elizabeth, Anne & Jane their Children; one maid servant; one ‘Black’ - 7

• Mr Wm. Swindell Minister; Jno. Wharmly his servant - 2

• Tho. Smouet; Anne his wife; Elizabeth their Child; Rich. Walett; Alice Walett - 5

• Richard Mattby Armo. - 1

• Tho: Collins - 1

• Rob’t. Tamps; Ann his wife - 2

• Wm. Young; Eliz. his wife; John, Richard, Robert, Phillip their Children; Two maid servants - 9

• John Fuller; Ann his wife; one Child - 3

• Rich: Swallow; Marga: his wife; Margaret, Martha their Children; Abyas Betts. single woman; Two Negro servants - 7

• Fran: Rutter; Marg: Griffin; Sarah Butler - 3

• Francis Rangham; Anne his wife; Samuell, Mary, Francis their Children; Mary Bennett; Mary Plowright - 7

• John Coulson; Grace his wife; Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Martha their Children; Wm Dufton; Abigail Cox; one ‘negro’ - 8

• John Younge; Sarah his wife; John & Barbara their Children; Elizabeth Lewis servant - 5

• Fran: Moon Chyrurgion; Marg: his wife; Francis, Ephrath, Mary their Children; Anne Perry, Sarah Tremor, Richard Hall servants - 8

• John Amps; John Starling; one maid servant - 3

• John Keneday; Elizabeth his wife; Sarah Gray - 3

• Twelve Negro servants of the Compa. - 12{5}

It should be noted that only the names Greentree, Young and Fuller can still be found on St Helena, with only Young being common.

Saints Around the world

Naturally, not all Saints have remained on St Helena. There are sizeable populations in the Falkland Islands and Ascension Island, though these tend to be temporary workers who do not settle. More permanent populations exist in the UK and in Cape Town, South Africa. This article relates to this latter group:

Joshua Connect Day brings family together at the Cape

By Simon Pipe, posted on St Helena Online 23rd April 2015{6}

If you meet a Joshua in Cape Town, you can be pretty sure that somewhere in their family line, there’s a Saint. Now they all have their own special day: Monday, 27th April 2015 is Joshua Connect Day. Organiser JOLENE JOSHUA tells the story:

I started researching my own branch of the Joshua family about eight years ago, as I knew very little about my dad’s side of the family.

A few years down the line, my research has turned into somewhat of an international project as I’ve been able to connect with Joshua descendants across the globe and even managed to find connections between branches.

The Joshua Connect Day is a response to a number of requests from descendants to get together. I decided to arrange something in Cape Town but the event is open to any and every Joshua that is able to attend.

In a nutshell, the purpose of the day is to connect the various branches so we will share info on the various Joshua branches which we are aware of. We will also be sharing a bit on St Helena (past and present) as the Joshua’s in Cape Town can all be traced back to the island. And then of course we will give people a chance to interact and make their own connections.

The big gathering takes place in the Recreation Hall at Tokai Correctional Centre, from 10am to 2pm.

Read More

Below: Surname Count, 2019 telephone directory Article: A Rich Ancestry on St Helena

Surname Count, 2019 telephone directory

Article: A Rich Ancestry on St Helena

There’s an article about ancestry in the Solomon family on our page Important People.