Strand
A topographic surname for someone who lived by a shore, riverbank, or strand.
The #3,265 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,938 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname comes from the common Germanic word for a shore or bank. In Old English it appears as strand, and the same word exists in Old Norse as strand, both meaning a seashore or riverbank. As a surname, it was used for someone who lived by such a shoreline.
History
English and Scots sources treat Strand as a straightforward topographic name, and it appears alongside related forms such as Strang, a northern variant of Strong. The word also survives widely as a place-name element, which helped the surname spread in areas with coastal or riverside settlements. In some cases it may have been influenced by local place-names named Strand.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same old word behind this surname also survives in many English place names and in the famous London street name The Strand.
From the historical record
“STRAND (Eng.) Dweller at a Shore [O.E. strand = O.N. strand] STRANp, a North. E. and Scot, form of Strong. . . . Strang and stitSm6d [resolute]. — Cynewulf, Dream of the Rood, 40. Fra mi faas [foes] jiat war sa Strang. — 13th cent. Metr. N. Eng. Psalter :”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)