I have, for many years, been using Ancestry.com to host my family records, Its not the best, but its where I found I could do what I wanted, more or less, and their DNA records are prety good,
My own feeling on this is we are Nordic, the map is basicly northern France, and up into Holland and Northern Germany, but our name is the best link, so many Icelanic friends have said its Icelandic or at best Nordic, thats been miss spelt by scribes and thats where the variations comes from.
I asked Googles Gemini to take a look, after some discussion it seems we are Nordic, below I reproduce some of the conversation:
Ok try this my surname is Scaysbrook, I used to work with an Icelander, who once said to me my name is more Scarbroke, spelt differently by scribes who translated a nordic name, I have just recieved a D & A scan ad it shows a large link to the Nordic and northern Germany, and it seems Northern France, is Normandy,, is this original name possible
That's fascinating! The connection your Icelandic friend suggested, combined with your DNA results, points toward a highly likely theory about the origin of your surname.
The Origin of Scaysbrook: A Viking Connection
Your surname, Scaysbrook, is considered a variant of the English locational surname Scarisbrick (and also Scarsbrook, Scarcebrook, etc.). Crucially, the origin of this place name has a definitive Norse-Viking root, which aligns perfectly with your DNA results.
1. The Norse-Viking Place Name
The placename Scarisbrick, in Lancashire, England, is derived from two Old Norse (the language of the Vikings, closely related to Icelandic) elements:
Skar: A pre-7th century Norse-Viking personal name (of uncertain meaning) OR the Old Scandinavian word skar meaning "hollow/depression."
Brekka: An Old Norse word meaning "slope" or "hill."
The full meaning is most commonly interpreted as "Skar's hillside" or "hillside with a hollow." This directly confirms the Norse-Viking origin of the root name.
2. The Scribal/Spelling Variation
The theory that scribes altered the spelling is also extremely common in English surname history.
The original place name was recorded in documents as early as the 1200s as Scharisbrec and Skaresbrek.
The transition from Scar(is)brick/Scarsbrook to Scaysbrook is an example of an evolution based on local pronunciation and scribal interpretation over centuries.
Your friend's suggestion of a name more like "Scarbroke" is right in line with the established variations like Scarsbrook and Scarisbrook.
3. DNA, Scandinavia, and Northern France (Normandy)
Your DNA results supporting a link to the Nordic region and Northern France (Normandy) provides strong circumstantial evidence for the Viking theory:
Nordic/Northern Germany: The original Norse settlers who brought names like Skar came from Scandinavia, fitting the Nordic link. (Germany often appears in these results due to broad Northern European migration patterns.)
Northern France (Normandy): The region of Normandy ("Land of the Northmen") was settled by Vikings (Norsemen) who arrived in the 9th and 10th centuries. The Norman Conquest of 1066 was led by descendants of these Vikings, and they brought many Continental (French/Norman) variations of names, including people and clerks who recorded the already existing Norse names in England.
In summary, the name Scaysbrook almost certainly has a Scandinavian/Norse-Viking origin that entered England as a placename, and your DNA results align perfectly with the historical movements of those Norse peoples, whether they came directly to England (Danelaw/Viking settlements) or indirectly via Normandy (Norman Conquest).
So are my ancestors Norman, the links I have in my family tree go south not east, although the first invasion of Saxons were from the south, just after the Romans left
That's an insightful question that hits at the heart of medieval English history and migration!
The evidence suggests your surname is not directly Norman, but it is intimately connected to the same source group: the Norse-Vikings.
The movement of your ancestors south in England is a post-Viking, pre-modern migration pattern, and doesn't contradict the Norse origin.
1. The Norse Origin vs. Norman Origin
While both groups are descended from Scandinavian Vikings, your surname's root is found in the Viking settlement of Northern England, not the Norman Conquest:
Surname Origin (Scaysbrook/Scarisbrick): The name is a locational surname, meaning it comes from the place Scarisbrick in Lancashire. The place name is derived from Old Norse: Skar's brekka (Skar's hill/slope). This is a remnant of the Danelaw/Viking settlement of North-West England in the 9th and 10th centuries.
Norman Origin: True Norman surnames in England often relate to specific places in Normandy (like d'Évreux) or are early French occupational/personal names. While the Normans who conquered England in 1066 were descendants of Vikings who settled France, the Scarisbrick place name was already established in England by the local Norse settlers before the Conquest.
The De Scaresbrec Family: The earliest recorded family member, Gilbert de Scaresbrec (c. 1250), was the lord of the manor of Scarisbrick. The use of "de" (meaning "of") indicates a geographical surname, simply identifying him as being from that Norse-named location.
2. The Southward Migration
Your family tree's movement south does not contradict the northern origin of the name; in fact, it reflects a major trend in English history:
The Original Location is North: The name originates in Lancashire (Northern England).
The Southward Movement: Over the centuries, particularly after the Medieval period, it was very common for families to move away from their original settlements, especially from the agrarian North to the more prosperous, urban, and trading centres in the Midlands (like Warwickshire/Oxfordshire) and the South.
Scribal Influence (The 'brook' spelling): As families moved south and the name changed from the more distinct northern 'brick' (brekka) pronunciation to 'brook' (e.g., Scaysbrook, Scarsbrook), it reflects a shift where the name was being interpreted and recorded by scribes and clerks who were unfamiliar with the original northern placename's Norse dialect.
Conclusion
Your DNA and family history paint a coherent picture:
Viking Ancestry: Your DNA's Nordic link confirms the Old Norse foundation of your surname (Skar's brekka).
English Location: The name originated in Lancashire, a region heavily influenced by Norse settlement.
Migration: Later ancestors moved south within England, which is a common pattern of internal migration over the last 500 years.
You are descended from a family named for a place established by the Viking settlers of Northern England, with genetic and historical links tracing back to the broader Scandinavian/Norman world.
Can you link a place in the nordic that might associated with the original spelling or variant
That is an excellent next step in tracing the roots of your surname!
The key elements of your surname, Scaysbrook, which is a variant of Scarisbrick, are the two Old Norse (Viking language) components:
Skar (Old Norse personal name or "hollow/notch")
Brekka (Old Norse for "slope" or "hill")
While the exact combination "Skar-brekka" is the specific placename in Lancashire, England, you can find the individual components in place names across the Viking world, especially Iceland, which retains the purest form of Old Norse.
The Scandinavian Link
You can link the components of your name to the Nordic region using the Old Norse root words:
1. The "Brekka" Link (The End of Your Name)
The second part of your surname, the "brook" or "brick" ending (originally brekka), is a very common element in Icelandic and Scandinavian place names:
Old Norse: brekka (feminine noun)
Meaning: Slope, hill, or bank.
Nordic Example:
In Iceland, you can find Laugarbrekka (slope near the hot springs) or the general term brekka still used in many geographical names.
In English placenames derived from Old Norse (like in the Lake District), it appears as break or breck (e.g., Melbreak).
2. The "Skar" Link (The Start of Your Name)
The first part, Skar, has two potential Norse origins, both of which are found in names and geographical features:
Old Norse Root Meaning Relevance to Scarisbrick/Scaysbrook
Skarð (skar-th) A notch, gap, mountain pass, or cleft. This is the source of the Viking nickname "Skarthi" (Harelip), which means "notched" or "cleft-lip."
Skar A pre-7th century Norse personal name. This is the most likely origin for "Skar's Hillside."
Nordic Example (The Famous Analogue):
The best comparable example of a Viking name beginning with Skar is the English town of Scarborough in Yorkshire, a heartland of Viking settlement:
Scarborough is thought to be derived from the Old Norse Skardaborg or Skarðaborg, meaning "Skarthi's Stronghold" (the fortress of the Viking raider Thorgils Skarthi).
While your surname, Scaysbrook, did not evolve from Scarborough, it shares the exact same starting element (Skar) and the common Norse influence.
The existence of numerous place names in the Nordic world using brekka and the prevalence of the Skar element in Viking-named places like Scarborough firmly confirms the linguistic link your Icelandic friend suggested.
So there we have it,
