The Romany and Traveller Family History Society website includes lists of surnames that frequently occur in the Gypsy and Traveller community. Gypsy surnames which occur in Surrey include Cooper, Matthews, Ayres, Smith, Green, Taylor, Williams, Brazil, Shepherd, Beaney, Chapman and Scott among others.
Surnames are not conclusive evidence of Romany heritage, as many of them were also generally common ones, including Young, Taylor, Smith (a translation of the Romany for 'horseshoe maker,' Petulengro), Shaw/Shore, Lea/Lea/Leigh, Gray/Grey, Draper, Cooper and Boswell.
The Boswells were for centuries one of England's largest and most important Gypsy families. The Boswell clan were a large extended family of Travellers, and in old Nottinghamshire dialect the word bos'll was used as a term for Travellers and Roma in general.
Typical Romany surname: common ones include Cooper, Smith, Lee, Boswell, Lovell, Doe, Wood, Young and Heron. But take a look at our Famous Families books for many more examples.
They have Irish surnames – Ward, Connors, Carty, O'Brien, Cash, Coffey, Furey, MacDonagh, Mohan. In recent times, some have moved into the settled community; the town of Rathkeale in Co Limerick, population about 2000, has about 45% Travellers.
What are the most common Gypsy surnames in the UK?
The Romany and Traveller Family History Society website includes lists of surnames that frequently occur in the Gypsy and Traveller community. Gypsy surnames which occur in Surrey include Cooper, Matthews, Ayres, Smith, Green, Taylor, Williams, Brazil, Shepherd, Beaney, Chapman and Scott among others.
Irish Travellers (Irish: an lucht siúil, meaning the walking people), also known as Mincéirs (Shelta: Mincéirí) or Pavees, are a traditionally peripatetic indigenous ethno-cultural group originating in Ireland.
Romanichal residing in England, Scotland, and Wales are part of the Gypsy (Romani), Roma, and Traveller community. Romanichal. A Gypsy Girl by George Elgar Hicks (1899) Regions with significant populations.
He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona 'The Tramp', and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of film. Chaplin's Romani ancestry only came to light after his death, when his daughter found a letter that had been locked away in her father's bedside cabinet.
Elvis traces his roots to the Roma community, who were the German gypsies that emigrated to the US in the early 18th century. Elvis' mother's maiden name was Smith, which is a common surname used by the British Romani too.
In fact, if a person has Roma blood, many of the DNA tests will indicate South Asian ancestry as well as Middle Eastern, and then, perhaps, also European ancestry such as Hungarian, Bulgarian, Swedish, or Portuguese, but it might be any mix.
Her boyfriend Ken Urker shared the news of their baby's arrival via a photo on Instagram, writing, "Welcoming 2025 with the greatest gift of all." In November, Blanchard revealed to People the baby's name: Aurora Raina Urker. Disney fans will likely think of the princess in Sleeping Beauty who shares the name.
A rom baro is elected for life and the position is not inheritable. The rom baro is the head of their patriarchal groups known as familias but, their authority extends far beyond their own familias, encompassing their respective tribes or companies (Romani: kumpania).
Besides the Faas and Blyths, common Border Gypsy surnames include Baillie, Tait, Douglas, Gordon, McDonald, Ruthven, Young and Fleckie. In Scottish Gaelic they are known as the "Ceàrdannan" ("the Craftsmen"), or less controversially, "luchd siubhail" (people of travel) for travellers in general.
The vast majority of Roma are Christians. They are Catholic Manouche, Mercheros, and Sinti; Muslim Ashkali and Romanlar; Pentecostal Kalderash and Lovari; Protestant Travellers; Anglican Roma; and Baptist Roma. The Roma's religious beliefs are occupied by God and Virgin Mary.
The dress of Romani women emphasizes purity and the Romani notion of being unpolluted, as well as the cultural tradition of displaying your wealth as a sign of good fortune. Romani women tend to wear golden earrings, necklaces and bracelets and headscarves.
Gypsies' and Travellers' ethnicity is recognised by the law. Unfortunately, refusal of service simply on the grounds of their race is a problem across the hospitality industry. The outcome of this case and the publicity it generated has highlighted that refusing to serve anyone because of their race breaks the law.
Gypsy communities may also use unusual first names, such as Britannia, Cinderella or Tryphena for girls, or Ezekial, Gilderoy or Shadrack for boys. You can find out more with our guide to Gypsy names.
Roma have at least two given names: The gadžikano name is an official name used in direction to 'the others' while the romano name is an un-official name used within the community which in some traditional com- munities may have a protective function. The romano nav is usually chosen by the mother.
Heterogeneity between countries has become apparent and has led to the conclusion that the European Roma are composed of two different populations, characterised respectively by a high and a low frequency of blood group B [23], or defined as East and West European Roma, with the former closely related to Indian ...
Gypsies (including English Gypsies, Scottish Gypsies or Travellers, Welsh Gypsies and other Romany people) Irish Travellers (who have specific Irish roots) Roma, understood to be more recent migrants from Central and Eastern Europe.
Some such borrowed surnames are Boswell, Buckland, Burton, Cooper, Gray, Heron, Ingram, Lee, Lovell, Smith, Stanley, Taylor, Wood and Young. Each tribe was ruled over by a sero rom (headman) and would travel its own particular circuit within a wide area.
