Oxford Dictionary of 45,000 surnames' origins published
'The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland,' which reveals the origins of 45,602 surnames, was published on Thursday. The dictionary, which includes surnames with over 100 bearers, found that nearly 40,000 are native to Britain and Ireland. About 50% of 20,000 main entries are location-based, 23% are relationship-based, 19% are nicknames and 8% are occupational or status-based.