Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1855-08-04
Our surname.-wheneswe Derive Them.

What curious names some people haye!-naEes
that are suggestive of all sorts Of curious caings,
Ipec1larities, times and places. The name ofone
man you can never pronounce without being con-
vulsed by It's association with some grotesque idea
or animal. That Of another you can never meet
in print without being carried back to some ride
nlous place or relic Of barbaIism. Some people,
ashamed of their patronymics, torture them into
foreign shapes by changing the spelling, while
Others. still more sensitive, boldly apply TO the
Legislature for relief. Yet how these Odl names
came 10 be saldIed upon honest people, very few
have any definite idea. Who, for instance. ofthe
immense family Of Smith has stopped to inquire
why he happens to rejoice in the patEonymic, and
why its Universally?
An article in late number of the Edinburgh
Review pours flood of hight upon the mystery of
surnames. A brief abstract of some of its facts
and specnlations may not be uninteresting to our
readers.
English surnames consist first, of Norman names
dating from the Conquest. These constitute but
small class and are the only ones which became
lheTeditaryaS early as the 18th century. Among
them may be mentioned such names as LIE Strange,
Barrell, Howard, and FiI2 Wiltium.
Second. Names that have local English origin.
| TheSe are numerous, comprising such as BEldge,
Brook, Church, Chapel, Park, Grove, Green, &c.
AS names of places, these are much older than the
Norman Conquest.
Third. Surnames derived from occupations
These constitute the cuief class. Such names as
Smith and Turner were undoubtedly derived from
occupations Of those whom they were originally
conferred. The great number OF the family u
Smiths is owing 10 the fact that the Smiths of that
| nv
cluded in his mystery the works which Wheelets,
CaItwr:shiS, and other Wrighs afterW ard perform-
ed. The number OF births III the Smith family Of
England and Wales i'll single year was 1888;
number OF TaylOTS the same year, 1851; number
of WrightS, 1888; hunter of Turner'S, l,2IT;
number of CooperS, I,1U3; number Of Bakers l.,
033. Thus it will be seen that Smith leads the
column over two 10 one.
Many names, derived from employmenS; sur
ylve while the emplOynrnts have SeaSrd.-Among
such are ArcherS Bowmen, Butts, Hawker, String
fellow, &c. Family names are frequently chang
eJ, however. After the passage Of the RelOrm
Act great many children were baptized as John
RuSSIlls, in The same way that George Washing:
tons are multiplying by hundreds in this country.
| Fourth. Names derived from the Christian
name Uf father or mother. This has been very
frequent, especially in Wales, so that small mum
Der Of Surnames thus derived constitute the great
bulk OF the whole population. Hughes (ap-tlugh,
i. e.. son OF Hugh) Perry, Williams &c, ARE OF
| this nTgen.
Fifth. Descriptive names. Bodily peculiari-
lies have gwen to the greater part OF this class
of surnames, together with few WHICH indicate
mental peculiari.ies. Among the lalter'are Good,
Goodman, Goodenough, Goodfrllo~, Wise, Moody
Joy, Wilde, Wake, &c. Ofthe former are gge,
Long, Lomgman, Prettyman, Short, Armstrong,
Shank, Foot, Hand, Lightfoot, BareboneS, White
head, &c.
Sixth. Names derived fromthe animal, mineral,
and vegetable kingdoms. The first class OF names
under this head Indicate state of society when
the intercourse OF men with beasts was much
greater than II is now. Among these are Bernard,
OrsnuS, Wolf, Wolfram, WUlcOte, Fox, Tod,
Todhunter, Pigmen, Hogge, HoggInS, Swinnock,
Cannon, Bacon, WildboTe, Hogarth, &c. Others
have more feathery origin, such Hawkes.,
Partridges, Swan, Peacock, Crane, GoSling, Drake
Goose, &c. And from insects, reptiles, &C.:
Worms, Bug. Cricket, Newte.
Even the vegetable and mineral creation furnish
considerable variety of names TO the lords of
creation. Jewel, Steel, Salt, Cold Goldsmith,
Groat, Penny, are Of this class. Many names
derived fIom trees and flowers, such as Beech,
Birch, KindSey, Lind, Grab, Crabtree. And from
cereals, Wheaton, Wheatly, Rely, Oats, Bean,
Peas.
Seventh. Names derived from celestial HER
archies. DIeu, St. Sanveur, st. Antoine, BacchuS,
Godfrey, Goodwin, GodSalI.
Eighth. Foreign names, which at various times
since the Conquest have been imported into Eng
land by emigrants. Among them are Lombard,
Scott, Lambert, Walch, Wales, Bergen, &c.
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