Bandy
An English surname that likely began as a nickname for someone with bowed or crooked legs.
The #4,133 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,976 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually treated as a nickname from the word bandy, meaning bent, bow-legged, or crooked. That sense fits the older English descriptive use seen in historical surname works, and it may connect to the idea of a person with bandy legs. Some writers also compare related forms in other Celtic and Germanic languages that mean bent or curved, but the English nickname explanation is the safest.
History
The name appears in early modern English records, especially in southern and eastern counties such as York and Buckinghamshire. It is less common than the closely related surname Bundy, which older sources sometimes discuss alongside it. The surname later spread to North America, where it remains relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older English, bandy was a vivid descriptive word, so surnames like this could be a direct reference to a person's build or gait.
From the historical record
“Rc^n Bundy. I Adam Bandy, c ,. Bncka, ibid. „. York, ibid. o-York/ibld.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances