Meaning & History
Medieval English name (found in a Curia Regis Roll item dated 1213), derived from Latin splendor meaning "brilliance, brightness, lustre, distinction". (It was listed in 'A Dictionary of English Surnames' by Dr Reaney, who noted: 'In the Middle Ages there was a fashion for fanciful feminine names, few of which have survived, or given rise to surnames.') This is also the name a small town in the U.S. state of Texas.