The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-09-18
IFor the DIspatch.l
Osxr Names.

The names OF those whom the medieval
Church canonized for their plety ana good
works reappeared frequently, OF course, at
the cbri,teniDg font; not always from any
.pecial admiration on the part OF the pareHt
for the saint after whom bis child was CALI
ed. but because. IL a birth happened on any
Of the numerous saints days OF the Romish
calendar, II was very general custom 10
christen the child In accordance with this
circumstances. Many of these saints names
have become surnames without phonetic
cbsnge-e. a.. st. George, ST. John. Others
again are considerably metamorphosed.
Thus st. Glare has become Sinclair, Senk'er
and Slnkler and Siger. And besides Ste
phens, Stevens, Stephenson. and Steven
SOP, we have from st. Stephen The corrup-
lions Steeuson, Stibsop, and simpson. Ine
Norman dlminutive OF stephen was steve
net, and this has become Stennett Win US.
From 81. Hillary comes our SilIery, Wild
its shorter forms Sill and Still ana inc pa
;ronym Stiles. Siliman, however, IS Seefy
man vi. e., rustic, plain, simple, guile-
less.
When Shakespeare wrote OF ga fourth
man in a SILLY habit" he merely meant that
the garment was plain. When Piers Pow
man addresses the "seely man he means
the rustic laborer. By "silly virgin 7"
Spenser means an inoffensve maiden.
Chaucer cxclaims in his Legend OF Fair
Women, 90, Sely woman, full OF iDnO-
cence." Sir Thomas More, in bis History
OF Richard ILL.,, speaks OF the princes who
were murdered in the Tower as "the
silv-i. e., iDuocent-cbildren lying in
their bed" Foxe, in his Martyrology,
describing the martyrdom OF young
CHILD, saws "the silly soul, the blessed babe,
the child uncherished," was committed to
.tbe sinking prison." In Anglo.Saxon
spliq, like the modern German Selig, means
" blessed, happy; and this was The sense
Ia which Wickliffe employed the word Sety
in his translation Of the Bible.
The rude logic OF our foreiatbers con-
WINGED them that "innocence and chap.
piness" were convertible terms; but as
they advanced in worldly wisdom expert
ence taught them that the innocent are often
the prey of the crafty, and that no one Will
be a match for the wickedness OF this world
who is not an adept in the worlds ways.
Hence il came TO pass that term which sig
nifcd originally "goodness and we'll
meaning " simplicity" drew to itself an ill.,
simulated meaning that it was foolish to be
good and fl eedom from guile was believed
to exist only in those who had not sense
enough for schemes OF duplicity. This
secondary Specification OF Stiffness, inter-
penetrating at last the whole substance OF
the word, drove out the former meanings
completely, and now exists alone. just so
mineral IN solution diSplaces the original
bone OF fossil skeletons.
Our modern German friends make lo-
cose application of their word Sett9 to
man who is merry over his cups. 1t Is easy
TO connect the bliss OF intoxication with
Stiffness; but the German word has never
undergone the changes OF meaning which
the Saxon SOetig went through; and there
is no reason TO suppose that the Benedict
Sely," or the "John Seliman OF the Hun
dred Rolls was addicted to excessive pota-
lions. The name was bestowed, like Good
man, Goodfelow, and Goode, in recosni-
ton of honest simplicity and straightfor-
wardness at time when the possession OF
such character was rare enough TO form a
personal distinction in the community.
Let us return to our names OF saints. 81.
Maur is our Seymour; St. Omer our So
ners; ST. Leger our Sellinger; st. Denys
our Sidney; ST. Armand our Sandman.
st. Austin has been abbreviated in Sustin !;
St. Pierre into Semper and Shipper. St.
Anthony has furnished us with Stanton
tunless this is Stonetowm and certainly with
Tonkins and the patronymic Tonson. St.
Paul has given us Paulson, Pawson, Pau
lett; ST. Patrick, Patterson, Patteson, Pat
tjson, and Patton Patrick town..
Dennis, Denny, Dennison, are not al
ways from st. Denys; but such entries In
the Hundred Rolls as Roger lie Daneis /"
and joel lie Deneys" suggest that some
times the surname may be indicative OF the
persons national descent. And Michael
FIJI Dionysia z" in the Hundred Rolls shows
that Dennison may have double parentage.
From saints names going 10 Ordinary
names, we have Gibbs, Gibson, Gibbons,
Gipps, and GiIpin, from Gilbert.
The Norman Guerin, or WARM, has gwen
us Warren, Waring, Maiuwaring, and Man
nering-the last two indicating individuals
that belonged to tue manor OF WARM, or
Guefin.
Milo, which appears as personal name
in Domesday Book, has given us Miles and
Miley and Millot for snrnames; and it is
likely that Mills (of which the full form is
Mill n) is oftener due to this source than to
the building over which the miller presides.
nar