New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-19
OUR SURNAMES.

With almost every person who can read and write,
the signfcston and derivation Of his own surname,
or that of other people has al some moment OF his
life been matter Of speculation The increased at
Ten ton paid to the history of the middle ages during
this century has rendered the classification OF sar-
names a clearer and easier undertaking than il wss to
our fore'athe1s hundred years ago. In bnosroIs
Eu,ope the personal name, with the addition OF pat
ropymic-as Canute the con of Sweyn Wanda the con
Of Wess-suficed for all the then purposes OF COM
mon life. II any further identification were needed,
soe personal characteristic added as an epithet,
As Cen the lame and EtbelIed the unready The
eudal nobility were the first to adopt fixed hereditary
surpsmts taken generally though not always, IRON
the manor which they owned, as Sackville, Somer-
vile, and Baskerville. Whenever younger son wss
uckv enough to acquire an estate and found family
he dronped the name of his father snd elder brother
and assumed one borrowed from HE own domain.
This does not touch the mass Of the people who con-
timed 10 be the sers OF the king and the baron and
AZ serf. possessed for the most part only the one per-
.o,, name a. in the times Of bsIbarism. The four
tenth century. distinguished it was for the i'm
ense .ecessiops of personal liberty which it brought
% the rura PEASANT and of social importance TO the
civic burohar and artisan seems TO have invested The
"bss..born population in those portions OF Europe
with which we are most nearly connected with It's
real dignity Of fixed hereditary surname AS TIE
noble names which can trace their origin from the 10
vssion Of Clovis the Norman conquest or the crasades
Are quite few the vas. msjority of Engsh surnanes
became fxeo on or about the time we have lndicsHd
,,d bear The impress of toe nomenclature and indus
trsl orgsniZsuop of that age.
The Largest family OF surDames are sthtne psUo-
pyuies-those founded on the persona name o. come
ancestor. Such names are Robinson johnson, Anoef-
SOD. Porson Psuls SON Jones Wisms, and the NE
To this olass belong also, names ending In Ing, e.
Doxnirg and Browning, a. also do sl the Macs
and tie Os' snd the pure Kettle names. Ihet~eve
LARGEST families Of Anglican surnsnes, stated IN or
der are Smith, Jones, Williams, Taylor, Brown
D.xies Thomas. Evans, Roberts, johnson, Robins .
rd wilson OF these all except the first, fourth snd
seh are pstroryrnics Another large elass o. nsnes
those derived from locality, hamlet OF tos
of,bess MANY are general, g. Wood, Hi, PAX NIX
Me-, Field. Warren, Lee and Lane. others are 70
-. tro .orns hamlet or town, The birthplace Oh zoe
g., o,nar Of the surname; such g. John OF
The German Reformer, Csristsdt, Cromwell -" a'n"
,on C,,I,Ie. Others again denote some eiaAs' "
e.,sn, nationality; as Waish, England, he'-I
French. Holland. Phins, Fleming ana uA0Vy
Burvo, De comes from Burgundy, Lorirg from
ard H.pvsyf from Hs;nsult. third large Class a.,
name. of occupations and functions W 'nese = 0''
| writer Of the cod Of the sixteenth century fe%.
Touching such a have their surns0ss VI "e'f'