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Glamorganshire / Re: James Surname
« on: Sunday 10 September 17 07:21 BST (UK) »
I also facing the same problem. 5 generations ago, my family still used "James" as surname... but by being captured by French (1697), my first English-Canadian ancestor been forced to became catholic and his name and passed from "William James" to "Guillaume Gemme" (but some of his sons and great sons kept alternating James/Gemme). He was a fisherman born at Pamphill in the Dorset (near Poole, in 1683)... however, through out searches, i found almost no other traces of James in the area (before William's father, Nicholas born in 1657) instead of other James in the Welsh Valleys (~65 miles north).
Like others said, most welsh surnames came from people father's name (ex. Gwylym ap Gruffudd) and was used to change from generation to the other... meanwhile in England, surnames barely change. Therefore, English' "James" and Welsh' "James" are most certainly not related (strictly taking about very old families).
The origins of England's James dating back to the 11th century when a James came along William the conquerer in 1066. Lands been gave to them in the Surrey. So these James (previously Jacomus), originate from Normandy, France (nearly 1000 years ago)... and these are the ones that are mentioned in almost all genealogy charts. But like said upper Welsh James aren't sharing the same roots.
So to get a better idea about the origins of your own James family, you'll have to try to dig deeper and pin point the area where they was from... and then "deduce" their origins (while keeping in mind that people keep migrating).
Like others said, most welsh surnames came from people father's name (ex. Gwylym ap Gruffudd) and was used to change from generation to the other... meanwhile in England, surnames barely change. Therefore, English' "James" and Welsh' "James" are most certainly not related (strictly taking about very old families).
The origins of England's James dating back to the 11th century when a James came along William the conquerer in 1066. Lands been gave to them in the Surrey. So these James (previously Jacomus), originate from Normandy, France (nearly 1000 years ago)... and these are the ones that are mentioned in almost all genealogy charts. But like said upper Welsh James aren't sharing the same roots.
So to get a better idea about the origins of your own James family, you'll have to try to dig deeper and pin point the area where they was from... and then "deduce" their origins (while keeping in mind that people keep migrating).