RETALLACK SURNAME revised September 12, 2015 by Greg Retallack, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1272:
[email protected] Abstract Retallack is a name endemic to Cornwall, and traceable in that southwestern English county back to 1497. The name is probably derived from Talek, recorded back to 1349, by addition of a demonstrative pronoun (those Taleks!). Talek in turn is most likely from the old Cornish talawg meaning “high forehead”. The comparable Welsh name Tallwch and Pictish Talorc can be traced back to the 6th century. There are numerous other ideas concerning the origin of the Retallack surname from Cornish place names, Cornish saints, mine workings and Norse and Greek gods, and these are all reviewed here. Retallacks in Cornwall were largely miners, farmers and farm laborers. Many left Cornwall for Australia and the United States during the potato blight and mining slump of the 1850's, so that there are now more Retallacks overseas than in Cornwall. Introduction The Retallack name is unusual and often requires careful spelling out. Pronunciation is also a challenge (correct is r'-TAL-lack, rhymes with metallic). Retallack is endemic to Cornwall, England (Fig. 1), where it has been a common name back to the 15th century (Table 1). Since the 19th century there has been a global Retallack diaspora (Table 2) so that there are now more Retallacks in Australia and the U.S. than in Cornwall. A computer search1 revealed 294 Retallacks in Australia, 173 in the United States, 151 in Great Britain, 48 in Canada and 2 in South Africa.