TOWIE’s Megan McKenna is descended from an Irish chieftain and Katie Price is a valley girl … We reveal what celebrity surnames – and YOUR surname – actually mean
A NEW study has found 9 out of 10 UK names have a British or Irish origin and reveals the meaning behind them
MEGAN McKenna could get her fiery personality from her ancient Celtic descendants while Gaz Beadle is probably descended from a Medievel court official.
And Katie Price’s name has nothing to do with money.
The real meaning behind celebrity surnames, and your own, has been unearthed by a four year project which delves back as far as the Norman Conquests.
The government-funded research examined 45,600 surnames and found that nine out of ten – or 40,000 – had ancient origins in Britain and Ireland.
Not surprisingly the most common name is Smith, used by more than half a million people, followed by Jones (400,000) and Williams (nearly 300,0000).
The study also pinpointed the origins of US coffee chain Starbucks to the village of Tarbock, in Merseyside.
It found there were four main types of surname: those that come from a location, an occupation, a nickname and a relationship name – such as Stephenson, meaning son of Stephen.
The results of the study are now published in the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland and in an online database.
So here’s what these celeb names mean.
Megan McKenna
The TOWIE star is likely to be descended from a Gaelic tribe. The surname comes from Mac Cionaodha or Mac Cionaoith, or the Irish Mac Cinaedha which was the surname of a chieftain family in North West Monaghan a medieval land division in the Republic of Ireland.
Jamie RedKnapp
The surname of the former Football star and manager dad Harry can be traced back to a ginger ancestor.
Redknapp means a boy or a servant with red hair.
Gaz Beadle
The Geordie Shore lothario may be far from the white collar type but his ancestors were court recorders.
The name is probably derived from ‘bedel’, the medieval name for court official, although it could relate to the town of Bedale in Yorkshire.
Katie Price
No it’s not about the Price tag – this name actually has a Welsh origin and comes from "Ap Rhys" or "son of Rhys ".
Jamie Vardy
The sharp shooter’s name is all about the weather.
It comes from Farraday, the Middle English term for a fair day.
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David Beckham
The footballing hero’s family could hale from the countryside of Norfolk, more specifically East or West Beckham.
The study found one of the earliest bearers of the name, in 1379 tax records, was Johannes de Becham, 1379 in tax records.
Danny Dyer
We already know he is descended from William the Conqueror, but his ancestors may have been real trendsetters.
The surname hails from Middle English deier, degher ‘dyer’, meaning his family members were known for transforming boring clothes into colourful fashion items.
If you want to trace your family tree, find out how with our easy guide.