Origins of the Hollow name
The name "Hollow" appears in very few references. Reany (see below) links Hollow and Hollows but in the Cornish references Hollow without the "s" seems to be used almost exclusively.References
A Dictionary of English Surnames, P.H. Reany and R.M. Wilson, OUP 3rd Edn. 1996Hollow, Hollows: Peter in le Holwe 1279 Rotuli Hundredorum, 2 vpls 1812-18 Cambridgeshire
Thomas de Hollowe 1327 Subsidy rolls Worcs. Worcs. Hist. Soc. 4 vols 1893-1902, dweller in the hollow Old English, holh
A Handbook of Cornish Surnames, G. Pawley White , Pawley White , 1972
Hollow: from Hallow: moors, place name, many Penhallows found in West Cornwall, from penhallow: end of moors or downs
The Guiness Book of Names, Leslie Dunkling, Guiness Publishing Ltd. 5th Edn. 1991
In 1890 Henry Brougham Guppy published his "Homes of Family Names in Great Britain",(Harrison 1890).
Guppy made a particular study of the names of farmers, whom he described as 'the most stay-at-home class of the country'. and he discovered that in each county the ir surnames fell into groups:
- General - names found all over the country.
- Common - names found in 20-29 counties
- Regional - names found in 10-19 counties
- District - names found in 4-9 counties
- County - names found in 2-3 counties
- Peculiar - names found mainly in one county only.
The Penguin Dictionary of Surnames , Basil Cottle, Penguin Books , 1967 - no reference to Hollow
So it would seem that the name "Hollow" may have originated in Cornwall. The meaning would probably have been "dweller by the moor". The earlier references mentioned in Reany and Wilson may have lead to Hollows or Holloway. I am still looking for any reference to HOLLOW outside of Cornwall before the Sixteenth century.
Variations
There are many variations to "Hollow", these are from the Cornish IGI:Hallow, Hallew, Hallows,
Hola, Holow, Holla, Hollah, Hollas, Hollo, Holloe, Holloh, Hollon, Hollos,
Hollowe,
Copyright 2008 Colin Hollow
Last Modified : 22 November 2008
