Baragwanath is a
Cornish language
Cornish (Standard Written Form: or , ) is a Southwestern Brittonic language, Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family. Along with Welsh language, Welsh and Breton language, Breton, Cornish descends from Common Brittonic, ...
surname
In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...
originating in west
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
in the
UK. As a result of emigration, members of the Baragwanath family can now be found in South Africa, the UK and Ireland, Australia, the US, and New Zealand. In
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
,
Gauteng
Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...
, there is a hospital whose name is derived from a local storekeeper, John Albert Baragwanath: the
Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital,
Soweto
Soweto () is a Township (South Africa), township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western T ...
. This hospital has over 3,000 beds.
Variants of the name are Baragwaneth, Baragwnath and Baragwanoth; the meaning of is "wheaten bread" (though Charnock prefers ''bar gwaneth'', "the top of the wheat field"). It is particularly common in
Penwith
Penwith (; ) is an area of Cornwall, England, located on the peninsula of the same name. It is also the name of a former Non-metropolitan district, local government district, whose council was based in Penzance. The area is named after one ...
and is recorded as early as the year 1590 (John Baragwanath 1590 to 1660 Married to Eleanor Baragwanath survived by their 8 children, John, Emblem, Elizabeth, Catherine, Joan, Mary, Jane & Richard.)
In Australia, the
Baragwanath Transform and the fossil plant
Baragwanathia
''Baragwanathia'' is a genus of extinct lycopsid plants of Late Silurian to Early Devonian age (), fossils of which have been found in Australia, Canada, China and Czechia. The name derives from William Baragwanath who discovered the first speci ...
were named after the geologist William Baragwanath (died 1966).
Notable people with the surname
*
Judith Baragwanath (born 1951), New Zealand writer
*
Minnie Baragwanath, New Zealand disability advocate
*
Nicholas Baragwanath, British music theorist, musicologist and pianist
*
William Baragwanath (1878–1966), Australian surveyor, geologist and public servant
*
David Baragwanath
Sir William David Baragwanath (born 3 August 1940) is a New Zealand lawyer and jurist. He served as president of the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon between 2011 and 2015.
Early life and education
Baragwanath was born in Balclutha ...
, New Zealand lawyer and jurist
References in other media
* The song by Australian band
TISM
TISM ( ; an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist ...
, "Mr. Ches Baragwanath, State Auditor–General", from their controversial EP
Australia the Lucky Cunt deals with the then Auditor-General of Victoria, Ches Baragwanath.
*
Diana Gabaldon
Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author and television writer. She is best known for the book series ''Outlander''. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventu ...
includes a character named Colenso Baragwanath in ''
An Echo in the Bone
''An Echo in the Bone'' is the seventh book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Fraser and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the boo ...
'' and ''
Written in My Own Heart's Blood
''Written in My Own Heart's Blood'' is the eighth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fras ...
'', the seventh and eighth books in her
''Outlander'' series of novels. Baragwanath serves as orderly and groom to William Henry Ransom, Earl of Ellesmere, son of
Jamie Fraser and stepson of
Lord John Grey (the protagonist of her parallel
''Lord John'' series).
References
Baragwanath History in South AfricaThe Baragwanath family history in South Africa.
Baragwanath Family of Towednack, Cornwall.
External links
{{Portal, Cornwall
Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital
Cornish-language surnames