FOOTNOTES:

FOOTNOTES:[112]Kluge,Etymologisches Wörterbuch.[113]Now abbreviated tomissin a special sense.[114]TheBoweryof New York was formerly a homestead.[115]Knave of trumps.[116]In modern French the lemon is calledcitronand the citroncédrat.[117]In the chapter on "Artillery." So also, in theAuthorised Version—"Jonathan gave hisartillery(his bow and arrows) unto his lad, and said unto him, 'Go, carry them into the city.'" (1 Samuel, xx. 40.) It is curious that the wordsartilleryandgunboth belong to the pre-gunpowder period.[118]Hence, or rather from Du.hals, thehawse-holes, the "throat" through which the cable runs.[119]Ger.all aus, all out.[120]Hence theMallandPall-Mall, where games like croquet were played.[121]Theg-represents the Old High German prefixgi-,ge-.Cf.Eng.luckand Ger.Glück.

[112]Kluge,Etymologisches Wörterbuch.

[113]Now abbreviated tomissin a special sense.

[114]TheBoweryof New York was formerly a homestead.

[115]Knave of trumps.

[116]In modern French the lemon is calledcitronand the citroncédrat.

[117]In the chapter on "Artillery." So also, in theAuthorised Version—"Jonathan gave hisartillery(his bow and arrows) unto his lad, and said unto him, 'Go, carry them into the city.'" (1 Samuel, xx. 40.) It is curious that the wordsartilleryandgunboth belong to the pre-gunpowder period.

[118]Hence, or rather from Du.hals, thehawse-holes, the "throat" through which the cable runs.

[119]Ger.all aus, all out.

[120]Hence theMallandPall-Mall, where games like croquet were played.

[121]Theg-represents the Old High German prefixgi-,ge-.Cf.Eng.luckand Ger.Glück.

Inthe study of family names we come across very much the same phenomena as in dealing with other words. They are subject to the same phonetic accidents and to the distortions of folk-etymology, being "altered strangely to significative words by the common sort, who desire to make all to be significative" (Camden,Remains concerning Britain). Doublets and homonyms are of frequent occurrence, and the origin of some names is obscured by the well-meaning efforts of early philologists. It might be expected that a family name would by its very nature tend to preserve its original form. This is, however, not the case. In old parish registers one often finds on one page two or three different spellings for the same name, and there are said to be a hundred and thirty variants ofMainwaring.[122]The telescoped pronunciation of long names such as Cholmondeley, Daventry, Marjoribanks, Strachan, is a familiar phenomenon, and very often the shorter form persists separately,e.g.,PosnettandPoslettoccur often in Westmoreland forPostlethwaite;Beechamexists by the side ofBeauchamp;Saint ClairandSaint Maurare usually reduced toSinclairandSeymour;Boon[123]andMoondisguise the aristocraticBohunandMohun. In a story by Mr Wells,Miss Winchelsea's Heart, the nameSnooksis gradually improved toSevenoaks, from which in all probability it originally came, viaSenoaks; cf.sennightforseven-night, and such names asFiveash,Twelvetrees, etc. Folk-etymology convertsArblaster, the cross-bowman, intoAlabaster,ThurgodintoThoroughgood, and the CornishHannibalintoHoneyball.Beaufoyis a grammatical monstrosity. Its older form isBeaufou, fine beech (see p.129), with an ambiguous second syllable.Malthuslooks like Latin, but is identical withMalthouse, just asBellowsis forBellhouse,LoftusforLofthouse, andBacchus, fined for intoxication, Jan. 5, 1911, forBakehouse. But many odd names which are often explained as corruptions may also have their face-value. The firstGotobedwas a sluggard,Godbeherewas fond of this pious form of greeting, andGoodbeerpurveyed sound liquor. WithToogood, perhaps ironical, we may compare Fr.Troplong, and withGoodenougha lady namedBelle-assez, often mentioned in the Pipe Rolls.Physickoccurs as a medieval nickname.

Family names fall into four great classes, which are, in descending order of size, local, baptismal, functional, and nicknames. But we have a great many homonyms, names capable of two or more explanations. ThusBellmay be for Fr.le belor from a shop-sign,Colleta diminutive ofNicholasor an aphetic form ofacolyte.Dennisis usually forDionysius, but sometimes forle Danois, the Dane;Gillott, and all family names beginning withGill-, may be fromGillian(see p.46), or from Fr.Guillaume. A famous member of the latter family wasGuillotin, the humanitarian doctor who urged the abolition of clumsy methods of decapitation.His name is a double diminutive, like Fr.diablotin, goblin.Leggattis a variant ofLidgate, swing gate, and ofLegate.Lovellis an affectionate diminutive or is for Old Fr.louvel, little wolf. It was also in Mid. English a dog's name, hence the force of the rime—

"The Rat (Ratcliffe), the Cat (Catesby), andLovell, our dog, Rule all England under the Hog." (1484.)

It has a doubletLowell. The nameTurney, well known in Nottingham, is from the town ofTournay, or is aphetic forattorney. In the following paragraphs I generally give only one source for each name, but it should be understood that in many cases two or more are possible. The forms also vary.

BAPTISMAL NAMES

Baptismal names often give surnames without any suffix. Sometimes these are slightly disguised, e.g.,Cobbett(Cuthbert),Garrett(Gerard),Hammond, Fr.Hamon(Hamo),Hibbert(Hubert),Jessop(Joseph),Neil(Nigel),Custance(Constance); or they preserve a name no longer given baptismally, e.g.,Aldridge(Alderic),Bardell(Bardolph),Goodeve(Godiva),Goodlake(Guthlac),Goodrich(Goderic),Harvey[124](Hervey, Fr.Hervé),Mayhew(Old Fr.Mahieu, Matthew). With the help of diminutive suffixes we getAtkin(Adam),Bodkin(Baldwin),Larkin(Lawrence),Perkin,Parkin(Peter),Hackett(Haco),Huggin,Hutchin,Hewett,Hewlett,Howitt(Hugh),Philpot(Philip),Tibbet(Theobald or Isabella),Tillet(Matilda),Wilmot(William),Wyatt(Guy),Gilbey,Gibbon(Gilbert), etc., with numerous variants and further derivatives. The changes that can be rung on one favourite name are bewildering,e.g., fromRobertwe haveRob,Dob,Hob, andBob; the first three with a numerous progeny, whileBob, now the favourite abbreviation, came into use too late to found a large dynasty. FromRichardwe haveRichardsandRichardson, and from its three abbreviationsRick,Dick,Hick, with their variantsRich,Digg,Hig,Hitch, one of the largest families of surnames in the language.[125]As the preceding examples show, family names are frequently derived from the mother. Other examples, which are not quite obvious, areBetts(Beatrice),Sisson(Cecilia),MoxonandPadgett(Margaret, Moggy, Madge, Padge),Parnell(Petronilla),Ibbotson(Ib, Isabella),Tillotson(Matilda). One group of surnames is derived from baptismal names given according to the season of the Church. Such arePentecost,Pascal, whence CornishPascoe,Nowell, andMiddlemas, a corruption ofMichaelmas.[126]With these may be groupedLoveday, a day appointed for reconciliations.

LOCAL NAMES

Surnames derived from place of residence often contain a preposition, e.g.,Atwood,Underhill, and sometimes the article as well, e.g.,Atterbury,Bythesea. InSurtees, on the Tees, we have a French preposition and an English river name. Sometimes they preserve a word otherwise obsolete.Barton, a farmyard, originally a barley-field, has given its name to about thirty places in England, and thus, directly or indirectly, tomany families.Bristowpreserves what was once the regular pronunciation ofBristol. The famous north country namePeelmeans castle, as still in the Isle of Man. It is Old Fr.pel(pal), stake, and the name was originally given to a wooden hill-fort or stockade.

Many places which have given family names have themselves disappeared from the map, while others, now of great importance, are of too recent growth to have been used in this way. Many of our family names are taken from those of continental towns, especially French and Flemish. Camden says, "Neither is there any village in Normandy that gave not denomination to some family in England." Such areBullenorBoleyn(Boulogne),Cullen(Cologne),Challis(Calais),Challen(Châlon),Chaworth(Cahors),Bridges[127](Bruges),Druce(Dreux),Gaunt(Gand, Ghent),Lubbock(Lübeck),Luck(Luick, Liège),Mann(le Mans),Malins(Malines, Mechlin),Nugent(Nogent),Hawtrey(Hauterive), andDampier(Dampierre). To decide which is the particularHauteriveorDampierrein question is the work of the genealogist.Dampierre(Dominus Petrus) meansSaint Peter. In some cases these names have been simplified,e.g., Camden notes thatConyers, fromCoigniers, lit. quince-trees, becomesQuince.

French provinces have given usBurgoyne,Champain.GascoyneorGaskin, andMayne, and adjectives formed from names of countries, provinces and towns survive inAllman(Allemand),Brabazon(le Brabançon, the Brabanter),Brett(le Bretorle Breton[128]),Pickard(le Picard),Poidevin[129](le Poitevin),Mansell, Old Fr.Mancel(le Manceau, inhabitant of Maine or le Mans),HanwayandHannay(le Hannuyer, the Hainaulter),Loring(le Lorrain), assimilated toFleming,Champneys(le Champenois), with which we may compareCornwallis, from the Old French adjectivecornwaleis, man of Cornwall. To these may be addedPollock, which occasionally means the Pole, orPolack—

"Why then thePolacknever will defend it."(Hamlet, iv. 4.)

"Why then thePolacknever will defend it."

(Hamlet, iv. 4.)

Janaway, the Genoese, andHaunce, from the famousHanseconfederation.Morrismeans sometimesMoorish(see p.49), andNorris, besides having the meaning seen in its contracted formnurse, Fr.nourrice, may stand forle Noreis, the Northerner. We still have aNorroyking-at-arms, lit. north king, who holds office north of the Trent.

In some cases the territorialderemains, e.g.,Dolmanis sometimes the same asDalmain,d'Allemagne,Daubeneyisd'Aubigné,Danversisd'Anvers(Antwerp),Devereuxisd'Évreux, a town which takes its name from theEburovices, andDisneyisd'Isigny. With these may be mentionedDubberley, Fr.du Boulay, of the birch wood, andDawnay, from Old Fr.aunai,[130]a grove of alders. The last governor of the Bastille was the Marquis deLaunay(l'aunai). There is a large group of such words in French, coming from Latin collectives in-etum;d'Aubrayis from Lat.arboretum, and has given also the dissimilated formDarblay, famous in English literature. Other examples areChesney,Chaney, etc., the oak-grove,[131]Pomeroy, the apple-garden.

Names of French origin are particularly subject tocorruption and folk-etymology. We have the classic example of TessDurbeyfield.[132]Camden, in hisRemains concerning Britain, gives, among other curious instances,TroublefieldforTurberville.Greenfieldis usually literal (cf.Whitfield,Whittaker,Greenacre, etc.), but occasionally forGrenville.Summerfieldis forSomerville. The notoriousDangerfieldwas of Norman ancestry, fromAngerville.Mullinslooks a very English name, but it is from Fr.moulin, mill, asMustersis from Old Fr.moustier, monastery.Phillimoreis a corruption ofFinnemore, Fr.fin amour.

OCCUPATIVE NAMES

When we come to names which indicate office or trade, we have to distinguish between those that are practically nicknames, such asKing,Duke,Bishop,Cæsar[133](Julius Cæsar was a famous cricketer of the old school), and those that are to be taken literally. Many callings now obsolete have left traces in our surnames. The very common nameChapmanreminds us that this was once the general term for a dealer (see p.67), one who spends his time inchafferingor "choppingand changing." Thegrocer, orengrosser,i.e., the man who bought wholesale, Fr.en gros,[134]came too late to supplant the family nameSpicer.Bailey, Old Fr.bailif(bailli), represents all sorts of officials from a Scotch magistrate to a man in possession.Baylissseems to be formed from it like Williams from William.Chaucer, Old Fr.chaucier, now replaced bychaussetier, "a hosier, or hose-maker" (Cotgrave), is probably obsolete as an English surname. MrHomer'sancestors made helmets, Fr.heaume.Jenneris forengenour, engineer (seegin, p.65). InFerriertraditional spelling seems to have triumphed over popular pronunciation (farrier), but the latter appears inFarrar. Chaucer'ssomonoursurvives asSumner.Arkwas once a general name for a bin, hence the nameArkwright. Nottingham still has a Fletcher Gate, Lister Gate, and Pilcher Gate. It is not surprising that the trade offletcher, Old Fr.fleschier(Fléchier), arrow-maker, should be obsolete. TheFletchershave absorbed also thefleshers,i.e.butchers, which explains why they so greatly outnumber theBowyers(see p.178),Boyers, etc.Lister, earlierlittester, gave way todighester, whence the nameDexter, well known in Nottingham, and this is now replaced bydyer. APilchermadepilches, or mantles;cf.the cognate Fr. namePelissier, a maker ofpelisses.[135]Kiddierwas once equivalent to pedlar, fromkid, a basket. Sailors still speak of the bread-kid. For the nameWait, see p.76. The ancestor of thePoyserfamily made scales (poises), or was in charge of a public balance.Faulkner, falconer,Foster,Forster, forester, andWarner, warrener, go together. With the contraction ofWarnerwe may compareMarner, mariner.Crowthermeans fiddler. The obsoletecrowd, a fiddle, is of Celtic origin. It gave Old Fr.rote, the name of the instrument played by the medieval minstrels—

"Saxon minstrels and Welsh bards were extracting mistuned dirges from their harps,crowds, androtes."(Ivanhoe, Ch. 41.)

"Saxon minstrels and Welsh bards were extracting mistuned dirges from their harps,crowds, androtes."

(Ivanhoe, Ch. 41.)

Kempis an old English word for warrior, champion.It represents, like Ger.kämpfen, to fight, a very early loan from Lat.campus, in the sense of battle-field.

OBSOLETE CALLINGS

Pinder, the man in charge of the pound or pinfold, was the name of a famous wicket-keeper of the last century. The still more famous cricketing name ofTrumpermeans one who blows the trump. Cf.HornerandCorner, which have, however, alternative origins, a maker of horn cups and acoroner[136]respectively. A dealer inshalloon(see p.47) was aChalonerorChawner.Parminter, a tailor, is as obsolete as its Old French originalparmentier, a maker ofparements, deckings, fromparer, Lat.parare, to prepare. A member of theParmentierfamily popularised the cultivation of the potato in France just before the Revolution, hencepotage Parmentier, potato soup. Thewhite tawerstill plies his trade, but is hardly recognisable inWhittier.Massingeris a corruption ofmessenger. TheTodhunter, or fox-hunter, used to get twelve pence per fox-head from the parish warden.Coltmanis simple, butRunciman, the man in charge of therunciesorrouncies, is less obvious.Rouncy, a nag, is a common word in Mid. English. It comes from Old Fr.roncin(roussin), and is probably a derivative of Ger.Ross, horse. The Spanish form isrocin, "a horse or jade" (Minsheu, 1623), whence Don Quixote's chargerRocin-ante, "a jade formerly."

A park keeper is no longer called aParker, nor a maker of palings and palisades aPalliser. An English sea-king has immortalised the trade of theFrobisher, or furbisher, and a famous bishop bore the appropriate name ofLatimer, forLatiner. With this we may compareLorimer, forloriner, harness-maker, a derivative, through Old French, of Lat.lorum, "a thong of leather; a coller or other thing, wherewith beastes are boundenor tyed; the reyne of a brydle" (Cooper). TheLorinersstill figure among the London City Livery Companies, as do also theBowyers,Broderers,Fletchers(see p.176),Horners(see p.177),Pattenmakers,PoultersandUpholders(see p.63).Scriven, Old Fr.escrivain(écrivain), is now usually extended toScrivener. ForCatorsee p.63. In some of the above cases the name may have descended from a female, as we have not usually a separate word for women carrying on trades generally practised by men. In French there is a feminine form for nearly every occupation, hence such names asLabouchère, the lady butcher, or the butcher's wife.

The meaning of occupative names is not always on the surface. It would, for instance, be rash to form hasty conclusions as to the pursuits of RichardKisser, whose name occurs in medieval London records. He probably madecuisses,[137]thigh armour, Fr.cuisse, thigh, Lat.coxa. ABarkeremployed bark for tanning purposes.Bookeris a doublet ofButcher. ACleaverwas, in most cases, a mace-bearer, Old Fr.clavier(Clavieris a common family name in France) from Lat.clava, a club. He may, however, have sometimes been a porter, as Old Fr.clavieralso means key-bearer, Lat.clavis, a key. ACroker, orCrocker, soldcrocks,i.e., pottery. ALander, orLaunder, was a washer-man, Fr.lavandier. ASlopermade "slops,"i.e., loose upper garments, overalls. AReederorReaderthatched with reeds. AWalkerwalked, but within a circumscribed space. He was also called aFuller, Fr.fouler, to trample, or aTucker, from a verb which perhaps meant once to "tug" or "twitch." In the following passage some manuscripts havetoukereforwalkere—

"And his clothis ben maad schyninge and white ful moche as snow, and which maner clothis afullere, orwalkereof cloth, may not make white on erthe."(Wyclif,Mark, ix. 2.)

"And his clothis ben maad schyninge and white ful moche as snow, and which maner clothis afullere, orwalkereof cloth, may not make white on erthe."

(Wyclif,Mark, ix. 2.)

The fuller is still calledWalkerin Germany.Banisteris a corruption ofbalestier, a cross-bow man; cf.banisterforbaluster(p.60).

Some of the occupative names in-wardand-herdare rather deceptive.Haywardmeans hedge[138]guard.Howardis phonetically the Old French name Huard, but also often represents Hayward, Hereward, and the local Haworth, Howarth. For the social elevation of thesty-ward, see p.90.Durwardis door-ward. The simpleWard, replaced in its general sense bywarden,warder, etc., is one of our commonest surnames. SimilarlyHerd, replaced byherdsman, is borne as a surname by one who, if he attains not to the first three, is usually held more honourable than the thirty. The hog-herd survives asHoggart;Sewardis sometimes for sow-herd;Calvertrepresents calf-herd, andStoddartstot-herd,i.e., bullock-herd:—

"'Shentlemans!' cried Andie, 'Shentlemans, ye hielantstot! If God would give ye the grace to see yersel' the way that ithers see ye, ye would throw your denner up.'"(Catriona, Ch. 15.)

"'Shentlemans!' cried Andie, 'Shentlemans, ye hielantstot! If God would give ye the grace to see yersel' the way that ithers see ye, ye would throw your denner up.'"

(Catriona, Ch. 15.)

Lambertis in some cases lamb-herd, andNutteris in all probability a perversion of neat-herd, through the North Country and Scot.nowt-herd. It is a common surname in Lancashire, and Alice Nutter was one of the Lancashire Witches.

NICKNAMES

In a sense all personal names are nicknames (see p.114), since they all give that additional information which enables us to distinguish one person from another. The practice of giving nicknames suggested by appearance, physique, or habits is common to the European languages; but, on the whole, our nicknames compare very unfavourably with those of savage nations. We cannot imagine an English swain calling his lady-love"Laughing Water." From Roman times onward, European nicknames are in their general character obvious and prosaic, and very many of them are the reverse of complimentary. The most objectionable have either disappeared,[139]or the original meaning has become so obscured as to cease to give offence to the possessor. When a man had any choice in the matter, he naturally preferred not to perpetuate a grotesque name conferred on some ancestor. Medieval names were conferred on the individual, and did not become definitely hereditary till the Reformation. In later times names could only be changed by form of law. It is thus thatBuggbecameNorfolk Howard, a considerable transformation inspired by a natural instinct to "avoid the opinion of baseness," as Camden puts it. We no longer connectGossewithgoose, norPennefatherwith a miser. Cotgrave haspinse-maille(pince-maille), "a pinch peny, scrape-good, nigard, miser,penie-father." InPurcellwe lose Old Fr.pourcel(pourceau), little pig,Fitchno longer means a pole-cat, norBrocka badger. On the other hand, we generally regardGoslingas a nickname, while it is more often a variant ofJocelyn.

Names descriptive of appearance or habits often correspond pretty closely with those that are found in French. In some cases they are probably mere translations. Examples are:Merryweather(Bontemps),Drinkwater(Boileau[140]),Armstrong(Fortinbras),Lilywhite(Blanchefleur). Among colour names we haveBlack,Brown,White, andGrey, but seem to missred. The explanation is that for this colour we have adopted the Northern formReid(Read,Reed), or such French names asRudge(rouge),Rouse(roux),Russell(Rousseau). With the last of these, Old Fr.roussel, cf.BrunelandMorel. Fr.blondhas givenBlount,Blunt, and the diminutiveBlundell, which exist by the side of the fine old English nameFairfax, from Mid. Eng.fax, hair. Several other French adjectives has given us surnames, e.g.,Boon(bon),Bonner(débonnaire),Grant(grand),Curtis(courtois),Power(pauvre), etc.Paynis the French adjectivepaïen, pagan, Lat.paganus, in early use as a personal name.

FOLK-ETYMOLOGY

But many apparent nicknames are products of folk-etymology.Cowardis forcowherd,SalmonforSalomon,BoneforBoon(v.s.),Dedmanis a corruption ofDebenham.Playfairmeans play-fellow, from an old word connected with the verb tofare, to journey.Patchmay sometimes have meant a jester, from his parti-coloured garments, but is more often a variant ofPash,Pask, a baptismal name given to children christened at Easter, Old Fr.Pasque(Pâque). Easter eggs are still calledpash,pace, orpasteeggs in the north of England.Bloodis a Welsh name, son ofLud; cf.Bevan,Bowen, etc.Coffinis Fr.Chauvin, a derivative of Lat.calvus, bald. It has a variantCaffyn, the name of a famous cricketer.Dance, for Dans, is related to Daniel as Wills is to William. In the same wayPearcecomes from Peter or Pierre. The older form of the namePearcewas borne by the most famous of ploughmen, as it still is by the most famous of soapmakers. Names such asBull,Peacock,Greenman, are sometimes from shop or tavern signs. It is noteworthy that, as a surname, we often find the old formPocock. TheGreen Man, stilla common tavern sign, represented a kind of "wild man of the woods";cf.the Ger. signZum wilden Mann.

In these remarks on surnames I have only tried to show in general terms how they come into existence, "hoping to incur no offence herein with any person, when I protest in all sincerity, that I purpose nothing less than to wrong any whosoever" (Camden). Many names are susceptible of alternative explanations, and it requires a genealogist, and generally some imagination, to decide to which particular source a given family can be traced. The two arguments sometimes drawn from armorial bearings and medieval Latin forms are worthless. Names existed before escutcheons and devices, and these are often mere puns,e.g., theOnslowfamily, of local origin, from Onslow in Shropshire, has adopted the excellent mottofestina lente, "on slow." The famous nameSacheverellis latinised asDe Saltu Capellæ, of the kid's leap. This agrees with the oldest formSau-cheverell, which is probably from a French place called Sault-Chevreuil du Tronchet (Manche). The fact thatNapierof Merchiston had for his devicen'a pier, no equal, does not make it any the less true that his ancestors were, like Perkin Warbeck's parents, "really, respectable people" (see p.57).

Dr Brewer, in hisDictionary of Phrase and Fable, says of his own name—

"This name, which exists in France as Bruhière and Brugière, is not derived from the Saxonbriwan(to brew), but the Frenchbruyère(heath), and is about tantamount to the GermanPlantagenet(broom plant)."

A "German" Plantagenet should overawe even a Norfolk Howard. A more interesting identification, and a true one, is that of the name of the great engineerTelford, a corruption ofTelfer, withTaillefer, the "iron cleaver."

DAFT

A curious feature in nomenclature is the local character of some nicknames. We have an instance of this in the Notts nameDaft[141]—

"ADaftmight have played in the Notts County Eleven in 1273 as well as in 1886."(Bardsley.)

"ADaftmight have played in the Notts County Eleven in 1273 as well as in 1886."

(Bardsley.)

The only occurrence of the name in the Hundred Rolls for the year 1273 is in the county of Notts.

FOOTNOTES:[122]This is probably the record for a proper name, but does not by any means equal that of the wordcushion, of the plural of which about four hundred variants are found in old wills and inventories.[123]Another origin of this name is Fr.le bon.[124]"The last two centuries have seen the practice made popular of using surnames for baptismal names. Thus the late Bishop of Carlisle was Harvey Goodwin, although for several centuries Harvey has been obsolete as a personal name" (Bardsley). Camden already complains that "surnames of honourable and worshipful families are given now to mean men's children for christian names." Forty years ago there was hardly a more popular name thanPercy, while at the present day the admonition, "Be'ave yerself,'Oward," is familiar to the attentive ear.[125]It is even possible thatHood,Hudson, sometimes belong here, asHudappears to have been used as a North Country alternative for Richard, though it is hard to see why. For proofs seeBardsley,Dict. of English Surnames, s.v.Hudd.[126]Such a corruption, though difficult to explain phonetically, is not without example in uneducated or childish speech. Cf.tiddlebatortittlebat, forstickleback. Instickler(p.76) we have the opposite change.[127]Of course also of English origin.[128]Hence also the nameBritton.[129]Whence the perversionPortwine, examples of which occur in theLondon Directory.[130]Old Fr.vernai, whence ourVerney,Varney, has the same meaning; cf.Duverney, the name of a famous dancer. Old Fr.verne, alder, is of Celtic origin.[131]Cf.Chenevix, old oak, a name introduced by the Huguenots.[132]Other examples quoted by Mr Hardy arePriddle, fromParidelle, andDebbyhouse—"TheDebbyhouseswho now be carters were once thede Bayeuxfamily" (Tess of the d'Urbervilles, v. 35).[133]These names are supposed to have been generally conferred in consequence of characters represented in public performances and processions. In some cases they imply that the bearer was in the employment of the dignitary. We find them in other languages,e.g., Fr.Leroy,Leduc,Lévêque; Ger.König,Herzog,Bischof.Lévêquehas given Eng.Levick,Vick, and (Trotty)Veck.[134]Gross, twelve dozen, seems to be of Germanic origin, the duodecimal hundred, Ger.Grosshundert, being Norse or Gothic. But Ger.Grosshundertmeans 120 only.[135]Surplice, Old Fr.surpelis, is a compound of the same word. It was worn "over fur" in unheated medieval churches.[136]Another, and commoner, source of the name is from residence at a "corner."[137]See quotation fromHenry IV.(p.155).[138]The obsoletehay, hedge, is also a common surname,Hay,Haig,Haigh, etc.[139]The following occur in the index to Bardsley'sEnglish Surnames:—Blackinthemouth, Blubber, Calvesmawe, Cleanhog, Crookbone, Damned-Barebones, Drunkard, Felon, Greenhorn, Halfpenny, Hatechrist, Hogsflesh, Killhog, Leper, Mad, Measle, Milksop, Outlaw, Peckcheese, Peppercorn, Poorfish, Pudding, Ragman, Scorchbeef, Sourale, Sparewater, Sweatinbed, Twopenny, Widehose. Some of these are still found.[140]Cf. also Ital.Bevilacqua.[141]This word has degenerated. It is a doublet ofdeft.

[122]This is probably the record for a proper name, but does not by any means equal that of the wordcushion, of the plural of which about four hundred variants are found in old wills and inventories.

[123]Another origin of this name is Fr.le bon.

[124]"The last two centuries have seen the practice made popular of using surnames for baptismal names. Thus the late Bishop of Carlisle was Harvey Goodwin, although for several centuries Harvey has been obsolete as a personal name" (Bardsley). Camden already complains that "surnames of honourable and worshipful families are given now to mean men's children for christian names." Forty years ago there was hardly a more popular name thanPercy, while at the present day the admonition, "Be'ave yerself,'Oward," is familiar to the attentive ear.

[125]It is even possible thatHood,Hudson, sometimes belong here, asHudappears to have been used as a North Country alternative for Richard, though it is hard to see why. For proofs seeBardsley,Dict. of English Surnames, s.v.Hudd.

[126]Such a corruption, though difficult to explain phonetically, is not without example in uneducated or childish speech. Cf.tiddlebatortittlebat, forstickleback. Instickler(p.76) we have the opposite change.

[127]Of course also of English origin.

[128]Hence also the nameBritton.

[129]Whence the perversionPortwine, examples of which occur in theLondon Directory.

[130]Old Fr.vernai, whence ourVerney,Varney, has the same meaning; cf.Duverney, the name of a famous dancer. Old Fr.verne, alder, is of Celtic origin.

[131]Cf.Chenevix, old oak, a name introduced by the Huguenots.

[132]Other examples quoted by Mr Hardy arePriddle, fromParidelle, andDebbyhouse—"TheDebbyhouseswho now be carters were once thede Bayeuxfamily" (Tess of the d'Urbervilles, v. 35).

[133]These names are supposed to have been generally conferred in consequence of characters represented in public performances and processions. In some cases they imply that the bearer was in the employment of the dignitary. We find them in other languages,e.g., Fr.Leroy,Leduc,Lévêque; Ger.König,Herzog,Bischof.Lévêquehas given Eng.Levick,Vick, and (Trotty)Veck.

[134]Gross, twelve dozen, seems to be of Germanic origin, the duodecimal hundred, Ger.Grosshundert, being Norse or Gothic. But Ger.Grosshundertmeans 120 only.

[135]Surplice, Old Fr.surpelis, is a compound of the same word. It was worn "over fur" in unheated medieval churches.

[136]Another, and commoner, source of the name is from residence at a "corner."

[137]See quotation fromHenry IV.(p.155).

[138]The obsoletehay, hedge, is also a common surname,Hay,Haig,Haigh, etc.

[139]The following occur in the index to Bardsley'sEnglish Surnames:—Blackinthemouth, Blubber, Calvesmawe, Cleanhog, Crookbone, Damned-Barebones, Drunkard, Felon, Greenhorn, Halfpenny, Hatechrist, Hogsflesh, Killhog, Leper, Mad, Measle, Milksop, Outlaw, Peckcheese, Peppercorn, Poorfish, Pudding, Ragman, Scorchbeef, Sourale, Sparewater, Sweatinbed, Twopenny, Widehose. Some of these are still found.

[140]Cf. also Ital.Bevilacqua.

[141]This word has degenerated. It is a doublet ofdeft.

Romanceand Germanic etymology dates from the middle of the 19th century, and is associated especially with the names of two great Germans, Friedrich Diez, who published hisWörterbuch der romanischen Sprachenin 1853, and Jakob Grimm, whoseDeutsches Wörterbuchdates from 1852. These two men applied in their respective fields of investigation the principles of comparative philology, and reduced to a science what had previously been an amusement for the learned or the ignorant.

EARLY ETYMOLOGISTS

Men have always been fascinated by word-lore. The Greeks and Romans played with etymology in a somewhat metaphysical fashion, a famous example of which is the derivation oflucus a non lucendo. Medieval writers delight in giving amazing information as to the origin of the words they use. Their method, which may be called learned folk-etymology, consists in attempting to resolve an unfamiliar word into elements which give a possible interpretation of its meaning. Thus Philippe de Thaün, who wrote a kind of verse encyclopedia at the beginning of the 12th century, derives the French names of the days of the week as follows:lundi, day of light (lumière),mardi, day of toil or martyrdom (martyre),mercredi, day of market (marché),jeudi, dayof joy (joie),vendredi, day of truth (vérité),samedi, day of sowing (semence). Here we perhaps have, not so much complete ignorance, as the desire to be edifying, which is characteristic of the medieval etymologists.

Playful or punning etymology also appears very early. Wace, whoseRoman de Roudates from about the middle of the 12th century, gives the correct origin of the wordNorman—

"Justez (put) ensemblenorthetmanEt ensemble ditesnorthman."

But he also records the libellous theory thatNormendiecomes fromnorth mendie(begs). We cannot always say whether an early etymology is serious or not, but many theories which were undoubtedly meant for jokes have been quite innocently accepted by comparatively modern writers.[142]

The philologists of the Renaissance period were often very learned men, but they had no knowledge of the phonetic laws by which sound change is governed. Nor were they aware of the existence of Vulgar Latin, which is, to a much greater extent than classical Latin, the parent of the Romance languages. Sometimes a philologist had a pet theory which the facts were made to fit. Hellenists like Henri Estienne believed in theGreek origin of the French language, and Périon even derivedmaisonfrom the Gk.οἶκον(οἶκος, a house) by the simple method of prefixing anm. At other periods there have been Celtomaniacs,i.e., scholars who insisted on the Celtic origin of French.

The first English etymological dictionary which aims at something like completeness is theGuide into the Tonguesof John Minsheu, published in 1617. This attempts to deal not only with English, but with ten other languages. It contains a great deal of learning, much valuable information for the student of Tudor literature, and some amazing etymologies. "Topurloine,[143]or get privily away," is, says Minsheu, "a metaphor from those that picke the fat of theloines."Parmaceti, a corruption ofspermaceti—

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