Bywater is an uncommon

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

surname of

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

origin and can most frequently be found in the English region of

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. It is a

topographical Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

surname given to those who were situated near a body of water.

Etymology

Bywater is an uncommon surname of

origin. It is a

surname given to those who were situated near a body of water. The name derives from the merger of the Old English words ''bi'' (

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

: ''by'') and ''waeter'' (Middle English: ''water'') to form ''biwaeter''. Topographical surnames are among the earliest created, because natural and artificial features in the landscape provided easily identifiable and distinguishing names among small communities in medieval England.

History

The surname was first recorded by Thomas Bithewater, a witness to a wedding which dates to 1219, in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls. It was first recorded in

at the marriage of John Bywater and Eleonar Copgood at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 19 September 1637.

People

* Hector Charles Bywater, English naval expert, author and WWI spy *

Hetti Bywater Harriet Jessica Phoebe “Hetti” Bywater (born 10 September 1994) is an English former actress. She is best known for portraying Lucy Beale in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', taking over the role from Melissa Suffield in January 2012 until ...

, British actress *

Ingram Bywater Ingram Bywater, FBA (27 June 1840 – 18 December 1914) was an English classical scholar. He was born in Islington, London and first educated first at University College School and King's College School, then at Queen's College, Oxford. He obta ...

, English classical scholar *

Jim Bywater Jim Bywater is a British actor who has appeared both in film and television roles. Probably one of his most notable roles was as Wilf Starkey in '' Coronation Street'' in 1985. Other television appearances include ''Bodger and Badger'', ''The Bi ...

, British actor *

Michael Bywater Michael Bywater (born 11 May 1953) is an English non-fiction writer and broadcaster. He has worked for many London newspapers and periodicals and contributed to the design of computer games. Biography Bywater was educated at the independent Nottin ...

, English writer * Richard Arthur Samuel Bywater, recipient of the George Cross *

Ron Bywater Ronald Charles Eric Bywater (8 January 1919 – 18 May 1975) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). A key position player, Bywater missed many games early in his career due t ...

, Australian rules footballer *

Stephen Bywater Stephen Michael Bywater (born 7 June 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He has made appearances for thirteen clubs, most notably for Derby County, where he made over 150 appearances and won the 200 ...

, English footballer *

Terry Bywater Terrance Bywater (born 28 February 1983) is a British wheelchair basketball player. He participated in the 2000 Summer Paralympics, where his team came in fourth place; in the 2004 Summer Paralympics, where he won a bronze medal and was the highe ...

, British Paralympic athlete in wheelchair basketball

References

{{surname, Bywater English-language surnames