Last name: Angove

This interesting name, chiefly found in Cornwall, is of Celtic origin and is a compound of the definite article "an" i.e. "the", plus the Cornish "gov", a smith. The name is therefore occupational for a worker in metal and is widely recorded in church registers of that county from the mid 16th Century, (see below). On July 19th 1562 Alson Angove and Thomas Batten were married in Camborne, and on May 23rd 1566 William Anglove, an infant, was christened in Gwinear. On June 27th 1575 Kay Angove married a James Richards in Phillack and on November 12th 1581 Margeret Angove was christened in St. Keverne. In 1591 a George Angove was recorded in "The Cornish Wills Records". Earlier variants of the name minus the definite article have included Gough, Gow and Goff(e), the last mentioned form coming from the Old Cornish and Breton "goff", a smith. One, Betram Goffe, witness was recorded in "The Fine Court Rolls of Lincolnshire", dated 1208. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Rogger Angove, which was dated November 1st 1556, "The Marriage Register of Camborne", Cornwall, during the reign of Queen Mary, "Mary Queen of Scots", 1553 - 1558. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Visitor Comments

Neville Angove
Sorta correct. While "Angove" is definitely Cornish, the explanation is backwards. If the name was derived from the smith occupation, it would be recorded as "Gof" or "Gove". The article "An" would not be included. If the name was spelled phonetically from a Norman name (and given the timeframe, it likely arrived in Cornwall after Edward's consolidation of the Celts), then it would be translated from the Cornish words that mean "the smith": e.g., "An" and "Gove". For example, the name of the "Nova" motor car is literally translated into Spanish as "no go", just as "Pajero" has a literal translation of "wanker." But neither car really has that name. Basically, "Angove" is the phonetic Cornish spelling of a Norman name (likely "D'Ango"), that happens to mean the same as the combination of the Cornish words "An" and "Gove," that have a similar sound. It is not derived from those words per se. A similar example is the US name "Loomis," which is often taken to mean an association with weaving because of the obvious root, "loom." It is actually the anglicised phonetic spelling of "Lomes." Note that "Loomis" is rarely found outside North America, specifically the US.

Daniel Angove
Hello my fellow Angove :)

Bradley Angove
Yes a hello from me As well. :)

antony
fellow goves