SNSBI Launches Its New “Name Stories” Series with a Spotlight on a Remarkable Surname

 SNSBI Launches Its New “Name Stories” Series with a Spotlight on a Remarkable Surname

The Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland (SNSBI) has just launched an exciting new initiative - Name Stories - designed to uncover the linguistic, historical, and cultural roots behind some of the most distinctive surnames in Britain and Ireland. And what better way to begin than with the fascinating name Attenborough?

Written by Peter McClure, Honorary Professor (Name-Studies) at the University of Nottingham, the inaugural entry explores the origins, development, and enduring legacy of the surname famously borne by Sir David Attenborough, the renowned naturalist and broadcaster, and his brother, the late Lord Richard Attenborough, actor and director.

🏰 A Place, A Person, A Legacy

What makes Attenborough particularly noteworthy is that it is a monogenetic surname - a term used to describe surnames that likely trace back to a single ancestral line. In this case, that lineage leads us to a small village in Nottinghamshire, Attenborough, which is the only place in England with that name.

Although the village had a very small population during the period when surnames were forming (13th–14th centuries), there is no doubt that the surname derives from this location. The earliest reference to the place appears in the late 12th century as Adingburg, meaning the stronghold or manor (‘burh’) of a man named Adda.

By around 1200, the place-name began to be used as a surname. A particularly early bearer, John de Addingburgh, is recorded in 1352 as a baker in Nottingham. Over time, the name evolved phonetically, and it wasn’t until the 16th century that the modern pronunciation Attenborough became common.

🔎 More Than Just a Name

Beyond etymology, this first Name Story provides a compelling reminder of how language, geography, and identity intersect, showing how even a small, obscure village can leave a lasting mark through a surname known worldwide today.

Interested readers and name enthusiasts can dive deeper into the Attenborough surname by reading the full entry here.

Stay tuned for more Name Stories from SNSBI - each revealing the hidden narratives behind the names we know, carry, or encounter every day.

Two researchers examining experiences of names in adoption are sought

 link 

Researcher (Names & Adoption Project) (2 x part-time posts)

Nottingham Trent University - Social and Political Sciences - School of Social Sciences

Location:	Work from home
Salary:	£24,871 to £27,924 pro rata. Grade F
Hours:	Part Time
Contract Type:	Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On:	6th May 2022
Closes:	26th May 2022
Job Ref:	010498

We are deeply proud of our academic community. Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a diverse and dynamic learning environment, defined by a shared sense of respect for all its people. Our mission is to be bold, to do the right things and to change lives, and our academics are key to realising those goals. Their work continues to reinforce our credentials as an award-winning university, and a research centre of excellence.

Our continued success — underpinned by the number of prestigious national awards we’ve won — has hinged on two commitments: forging excellent partnerships around the world and harnessing the talents of all our people. We secured a ‘Gold’ rating in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework; received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for our pioneering research; and in 2018, we were the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge, further demonstrating our commitment to ensuring ‘success for all’. NTU is a university at the peak of its powers, but we know we can still go even further. That’s why we’re now looking for new, passionate, ambitious people to join our community.

The main purpose of the Researcher posts is to make a significant contribution to the Leverhulme Trust-funded research project: Name stories: experiences of names & naming in adoptive family life. This will be accomplished by, for example: assisting in the recruitment of participants; working with participants to co-create qualitative data; contributing to data analysis, writing and engagement. The researchers are expected to begin working from 1st September 2022 and the project runs for two years from that date. Further information about the roles can be found in the detailed job description and person specification.

The Leverhulme Trust-funded project Name stories: experiences of names & naming in adoptive family life is about personal names and identities. Associate Professor of Sociology Dr Jane Pilcher is the Principal Investigator. The project focuses on adoptees and adopters as people whose experiences of the multiple ‘identity’ and ‘belonging’ functions of forenames and surnames are especially likely to be significant and complex. The project uses life-story interviewing and creative life-writing methods to capture ‘name stories’ through which adults describe and make sense of their adoption-related naming and identity experiences. Findings will fill important knowledge gaps about the place of names in adoptive identities and in adoptive family life, thereby strengthening broader empirical, theoretical and everyday understandings of the significance of name-linked identities in contemporary societies. 

Interview Date: 14 June 2022

If you have any queries about this role, please contact Dr Jane Pilcher, Associate Professor of Sociology (jane.pilcher@ntu.ac.uk)

NTU prides itself on being an inclusive employer. We value and celebrate equality in opportunities, and we welcome applications from people who reflect the diversity of our communities.

This role is open to non-UK/Irish applicants subject to current UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) rules. Please ensure that you have the appropriate right to work in the UK for this role and consult the Home Office website for further information.

Please note that this role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) and successful applicants will be asked to declare any unspent criminal convictions. 

Do you have the passion to help us to go even further? www.ntu.ac.uk