Zouche

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A surname borne by members of an English noble family, notably the barons Zouche of medieval and early modern England
2. The family name of a historic English line of barons, a title and surname found in medieval records
3. A proper name of an English aristocratic family, used for its barons and their descendants across several centuries

Etymology: The name is best known as a surname, borne by the Zouche family, whose title and lands gave the Leicestershire town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch its second half. The family name comes from Norman French, where "la Souche" referred to a tree stump or stock, and it was probably a nickname or a place-based name. As a common noun, "zouche" has no settled everyday sense in English. Its use is almost entirely as a family name and place-name element, so the surname and the town are the main routes through which the term is known.