How did the surname Wauchope come about if it preceded the place-name?
Just as the origins of the Wauchopes is uncertain, owing to the absence of ancient charters, so too the derivation of the name itself is uncertain. The name does not appear to fit typical place-naming conventions of its time. It is unclear as to whether the surname preceded the place-name, or the place-name preceded the surname. One theory states the Wauchopes came from the independent kingdom of Strathclyde (circa A.D. 450 to 1058), which then became part of Scotland. It was a land of Britons who spoke a Celtic language similar to Welsh. If so, the prefix and suffix would be expected to be of Celtic origin. Rather, if arising from the period of the Danelaw in the late 9th century, the prefix would typically be the landowner s name and the suffix a short description of the place. The common Scandinavian suffixes would be -by, -thorpe, -toft, -holme (e.g., Langholm near Wauchopedale of Dumfriesshire), -kirk, -thwaite, -wick, -borough, and -ness. Hybrid names with English suffixes were c
