ABSTRACT
Topographical surnames are those derived from terms for features of the landscape, whether natural or man-made. Topographical surnames were originally much more common, in proportion to the whole body of names in use, in some parts of the country than in others. Surnames in this category were more common in the south eastern counties of England than in any other region. It seems to have been rare in Wales and in the Gaelic-speaking parts of Scotland. The early distribution of surnames has of course now been broken up by population movements, but it persisted for centuries after surnames had been formed, was still a good deal in evidence in the nineteenth century, and even now has not entirely disappeared. The distribution of these names has not been completely shattered by the population movements of recent times, and most of them still remain particularly characteristic of the north-west region.
