Bywater /ˈbwɔːtər/ is an uncommon English surname of Old English origin and can most frequently be found in the English region of Yorkshire. It is a topographical surname given to those who were situated near a body of water.[1]

Bywater
Pronunciationbaɪ.wɔːtər
Origin
Language(s)Old English
Meaningby the water
Region of originYorkshire

Etymology

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Bywater is an uncommon surname of Old English origin. It is a topographical surname given to those who were situated near a body of water.[1] The name derives from the merger of the Old English words bi (Middle English: by) and waeter (Middle English: water) to form biwaeter.

Topographical surnames are among the earliest created, because natural and artificial features in the landscape provided easily identifiable and distinguishing names among small communities in medieval England.[1]

History

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The surname was first recorded by Thomas Bithewater, a witness to a wedding which dates to 1219, in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls.[1]

It was first recorded in Middle English at the marriage of John Bywater and Eleonar Copgood at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 19 September 1637.[1]

People

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Surname: Bywater". Internet Surname Database. Retrieved 2010-05-29.