Beware! There are more Wasties and Lappers in Oxfordshire than anywhere else in the country. And even worse, we are surrounded by Clinkhards, Goodgames and Sparrowhawks.

But before you pack your bags and take to the hills, fear not. These are just some of the curious local surnames unearthed in a recent survey into Britain's historical past.

Norman Wastie and his wife Keryle, who live in St Lukes Road, Oxford, know there are numerous Wasties in the county. Keryle said: "Norman is one of four brothers and I know there are a lot of other Wasties in Oxfordshire. They originate from the Long Hanborough and Eynsham area."

Norman's brother John, of Long Hanborough, has done a lot of research into the Wastie name and discovered records of Wasties dating back to the 1500s, when the Sheriff of Oxford was a Wastie.

Gordon Lapper, of Launton, near Bicester, is also one of four brothers. He had no idea his name had so much history behind it but knows it originates from the villages of Chesterton and Wendlebury. "No-one has really commented on my name, even when I was at school," the retired bricklayer said.

Other historical Oxfordshire names include Eeley, Tustian, Charlett, Mawle, Allsworth, Norridge, Holifield, Quainton, Souch, Huckin, Allmond, Partlett, Clanfield, Painton, Aries, Braggins, Russia, Hearman and Ferriman.

The survey was conducted by Experian, a global information company, which researched 30,000 names.

Bruno Rost, press officer for Experian, explained: "Britain has a great tradition of surnames, many of which date back to the Middle Ages." "The three main influences - Norse, Anglo-Saxon and Celtic - have left us with a rich heritage of fascinating names and hours of amusement."

He added: "Many of our surnames date back to medieval nicknames, and, of course, a great number relate to local place names. Many are also named after animals, particularly fish and birds, and a significant proportion derived from old English fruits, berries, vegetables and flowers."

Anyone interested in tracing their own personal history through their surnames should log on to the Web. The Internet is teeming with genealogical information, and several Oxfordshire residents have even set up their own websites to trace as much information about their names and family trees as possible.

To begin your search, log on to www.rootsweb.com oxsil\surb.htm which lists every local searcher aiming to find out more about themselves. Other sites operate a pay-to-search policy but are easy to find.

Story date: Wednesday 20 October

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.