Funds to conduct a massive study of UK surnames, using all old sources of information along with new ones that have not yet been used, was awarded in the fall of 2009.
This study will produce a large online database of surname histories covering England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. When it is up and running you can be sure we will incorporate its conclusions on our surname(s), along with a link to the database.
"The project will emphasize [family names] as linguistic and historical entities but systematically take account of the work done outside academia by genealogists and family historians, in particular by the Guild of One-Name Studies."[Family Names of the United Kingdom]
For more information, see “UWE launches largest ever study of UK family names”