The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-09-05
Tfor the Dispatch.l
Our Names.


Tfor the Dispatch.l
Our Names.
We propose now 10 take up regularly the
subject of pdtronymic surnames. TO guard
against omissions, we'll begin with Adam,
after the example OF Mr.. Diedrl ch Knicker-
booker, who, in writing his "Hi>tory OF
| New York." commenced with a sketch Of
| Messrs. Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japhetb.
Adam has given rs Adams, Adamson,
Addison, Adkins, Atkins. and Atkinson.
"Adekin lie Fuller" greets us in the Hun
dred Rolls. The syllable kin is the same
diminutive we have in mdaikfn, ldmbkin,
etc., and means in Saxon "child" German.
kind. Its use as an addition to baptismal
names arose from the practice which has
prevailed among mothers and nurses in all
ages OF giving "pet " names. And Just as
pet, an abbreyiation Of petite ('' little one ~,
mas come at last 10 have no reference to
size, so Adekin, which is equivalent to
"Add, my child" or "Adam, my little fel-
low" clung to the individual long after he
! had ceased TO be q "Small bOy"; and when
| he came TO have q boy OF his own, said boy
would be known 10 the neighbors as Ad-
kin's son Benjamin." or "Adkin's Benia-
min," or "Beniamin Atkins son." or SIM
ply " Ben. AtklnS."
In the same way we have from William)
wilkins. Wilkinson, Wilkerson, and, by
contraction, Wilkes. GlkesOn, too, we
suppose to be the same as Wiikeson-the
| Christian name having been. in its original
| Norman form, Guilidone. From the Nor
man diminutiye GuilemOt Tor Gwilot. as it
| is often met with in old recOrds) we get our
WilmOt and Wilmer and Gilmer, Willot,
| Willett, Wilbert and Willard, elliott and
Gillett. Wilkes, by further contraction,
becomes Weeks and Wicks, whence WiX-
son ; and Wickham (at first the name OF a
place, then OF the person dwelling there) is
! U'ilkeS'S home. Other patronymlcs from
William are Wills, Willis, Wiley, and Will
son, Bills, Bilson, and Pilson, Williams and
Williamson, Wilcox and Wileockson-thirty
names in all.
Wilcox is diminutive in the possessive
case. Sometimes, however, Cooke is re-
sidential surname, as in "Peter ate Cox" :"
who was undoubtedly q waiter or an ostler,
or an employe of some kind, at a tavern
which bore that sign. Sometimes, again, the
name was descriptive Of fine appearance,
pride, or galantry, as we may know by its
having the article prefiXed instead OF the loca-
tive ate. Thus we have in the Hundred
Rolls John ie Koc," and in the old re-
cords of post -mortem examinations in Eng
land Katerina te Cox" Cox and Coke
are plainly possessiyes. II the individual
was a very great dandy he would be known
as Beaucock (Bocock); and the popular
comparison "as vain as q Peacock" gives
us another surname. Cockerell and Cock
rill come to US in the same way. Cochran
(Cochrane) may be cOCk-crdne; and our
friend Morecock, of Williamsburg, certain
| in xuh hnr
saw some resemblance to the MOOrcock OF
the British heaths. The patronymics Cox
and Cockson are to be referred 10 Cook,
anciently spelt Coke, which is one of the
few occupative surnames that admit the
filial deSinence. Smitbson and Stewardson,
Parsons and Wears, are the only others that
occur to us.
In Alcock the sufiiX is the pet dminutiye
again; for this name, together with Ellis,
Ellicot, Elicit, Elliott, Yell, YelOtt, Elliot
son, Elzey, Ellsworth q. e., ElPs yard),
Ellison, Ellyson, and Alison, is formed out
of the Scriptural Elias, or IFS first syllable.
Elias, also spelt Helyas, was about the time
of the Cr,lsades one OF the most popular
baptismal names in use in England. Ellicot
seems 10 have been formed from the iemi.
nine Elisota; and with regard TO Alison. we
must remember that ii was common bap-
tlsmal name for females in early times-ridt
the Alison in Chaucer's "Mller's Tale"
Our modern wearers of this name may be
simply "the son OF Alice; for not seldom
il was the female side OF the house that
transmitted the hereditary name, as we see
in Anson, ''the son Of Ann" Nelson, "tht
son OF Nell" and MeGgs. "the son Of MEG
or Maggie" Other female names which
have become surnames are Bell, Eve, EN-
NETT, Maryott or Maryatt, and Marye. This
adoption OF female names for family names
must have taken place either where the head
of the household was widow, or where
il married, she was VIGOROUSLY the managing
spirit, the - boss" who, in accordance will
a bustling, active temperament, took charge
OF outdoor affairs as well as those that be
longed more properly to her "sphere."
On the other hand, it seems sometimes tC
have been felt inappropriate to afiiX TN
masculine " son" 10 q female descendant
and we actually find a record of the name
"Alica Granddaughter" Other deriya
tiyes OF Thomas are Thomson, Thompson
Tompkins, Tomlip, TomIinson, Thomasson
Thomasett, Tompsett, and Thoms.
At first these patronymic names were no
hereditary, but changed with each genera
ton. Thus mention is made OF dispense
lion from ttOue III lut 1Cil lfVS III pShn'i "
"Richard Jonson, son OF John Richard
SON."
From John we have Johns, Jones, Jon
son, johnson Johnston is the residential
Johns To,cn), Jack, Jackson (Robert u
Jake in the Hundred Rolls), Johncock
HancoX, Hancock, Hanson, jenkins, Jun
kin, Jennings, Jenkinson, jerks, ant
iatterly GinX.
From Walter we have Watts, Watson
Watkins, Walters, Waters, Waddill (Wat'
HIN, Watterson (GeOffrey jill Walter In th'
Hundred Rolls), and Watkinson.
The frequency OF this pet diminrltlye kiI
may be seen in the following extract from
IA LitM Soth Sermun "a reproof o
the light behavior Of young people a
chapel:
"Nor those prufe yonge men
4 That loyeth MGiekyn little Matidal,
And those prude may denes
! That loveth Jaaekvn little Jean or JohnI,
A. chircbe and at ehepynRe,
| When they togade come,
They ruDnelh togaderes.
|. And spesse'h q der.e I'eeret love;
Masses and Mathis
| Ne Irpeth they .Douhf,.
For Wiiekun and Wdtekyn
| BE in sheir tbouht."
We have been led away from our origina
dcsigk OF taking up Adams descendant
alphabetically, and must make fres b start
CHARLEs DOB.
The editor OF this paper was present at th
! time [the discussion in Christiansbufg], ant
| II RiddleberRer converted any Funder Their