BRIGHTMAN (English) Variation of BRIGHT, 1- from a Middle English nickname or personal name meaning "bright, fair, pretty", which is from Old English "beorht" (bright, shining). ALSUP (English) The same as ALSOP and ALSIP, "one who came from Alsop en le Dale, listed as Aleshop in 1241 (Aelle's valley), in Derbyshire." LEWIS 1. English: from "Lowis, Lodowicus", a Norman personal name composed of the elements "hold" (fame) + "wig" (war). The name is recorded in Latin chronicles as "Ludovicus" and "Chlodovechus" (the latter form becoming Old French "Clovis, Clouis, Louis", and the former becoming the German name, "Ludwig"). The name was introduced into England by the Normans. 2. Welsh: Anglicized form of LLYWELYN. 3. Scots: from the Hebridean island of "Lewis", and seems to have come from the Old Norse word for "silent, melancholy" or from one for "song" + "house". However, this is not fact and these forms may well represent folk etymology on some more ancient name. 4. Scots and Irish: Anglicized form of "Mac Lughaidh" (son of Lugaidh). This is one of the most common Old Irish personal names. It is derived from "Lugh" (Brightness"), which was the name of a Celtic god. In Scotland the name was taken as a Gaelicized form of "Lewie", a pet form of "Lewis". 5. Jewish (Ashkenazic): patronym form of LEVI or Anglicization of some like-sounding Jewish surnames. ---Sources: A Dictionary of Surnames by Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges and New Dictionary of American Family Names by Elsdon C. Smith. Barbara ritacjk wrote: > Please look up the >Meaning / Origins of ; >"Brightman" >Thanks > > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > >