Agnew
A surname of Norman French origin, most likely from the place-name Agneaux in Normandy.
The #3,602 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,326 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most historical sources connect Agnew with Agneaux, a place in Normandy, rather than with the French word for “lamb.” In older French, agneau meant “lamb,” and some writers treated that as a possible source, but the locational explanation is usually preferred. The surname was therefore likely first used to identify someone from that Norman place.
History
The name appears in medieval records in Britain, and one source notes a family tradition that it came into England and then Ireland with Strongbow. In later centuries Agnew became established especially in Scotland and Ireland, where it is still best known today. 19th-century writers sometimes debated whether the name was locational or descriptive, but the Norman place-name explanation has remained the standard one.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older authors linked the name to the French word for “lamb,” which is why Agnew sometimes appears in discussions of French surnames with animal meanings.
From the historical record
“serted may well be doubted. See Aguillon. AGNEW. Possibly from the French arjneav, a lamb ; but more likely from Agneaux, a village in the arrondisseraent of St. Lo, in Normandy. Co. Wigton, XIV. cent. AGUE. Fr. cdgu^ corresponding with our Sharpe. AGITILAR. Span. ' Of the eagle.' Comp. Aquila, Eagles, &c.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom