Daily Yellowstone journal., 1885-06-23
DERIVATION OF FAMILY NAMES.
Common Methods OF Bestowlng surnaines
In Old English Times.


bestowiug surnames was from the place
of residence. The name of a street, a
town, a particular district OF country,
with the syllable at or after or by rs an
introduction, gave such names as At
wood, Byford and Byatt. Another class
of names arose from the practice OF APP
pending TO the name a termination indi-
catiye of the place of residence. Thus
the rustic often became known among
his acquaintance as Robert the Field,
or Fielder, Filder; if he lived in forest,
he was Moodyer, or Wood, or Wood
man; if by the church, he was Church
man, or, in Scotland, kirkman; II by a
monastery, Temple, or Telpleman. or
Templer; if by the cross to be found in
every village, he was Cross,
or CrOssman, or ClOucher, or
Crouchman; il by the bridge, he be-
came Bridger or Bridgcmen. from
similar reasons came the names Brooks,
Brookman, Wells, Weller, Wellman,
Beecher. Eeechman, Hollywood, Oker,
and many others. The word hurst or
hirst is often found as part of a proper
name. II originally meant wood, and
the compounds formed with ii are nu-
merous. II hazels about, it is Hazel
hurst: if lindens, ii is Lyndhurst; il
hawks are often found, it is iawkhurSt,
and BrockelhurSt is often seen Tor bad
gerwoodS: Deerhurst for a deer forest,
the proper names of men following
these appellations.
The holt was less extensive forest
than the hurst, and from il we have
Aldershot, Oakshot and Bagshot. A
shaw was a small woody covert, a COM
mon shelter for game, and it remains in
our language as Hindshaw, CockShaw,
llenshaw, or Hernshaw, and Earnshaw,
an abreviation OF Heronshaw. In old
English, a den was q sunken covert or
shelter for animals usually OF the NOR,
ferocious kinds, and so We have VOL
fendel, Harden, or Hareden, Buckden,
Ramden, and Rowden, or Eoeden The
names of the domestic animals are
found in Horsden, OXenden, Cowdcn,
Borden, sowden, and Ogden, or Hog
den While the den gave shelter the
lea afforded pasturage for both wild
and tame, and We thus have HorSeley,
Cowley, and kinley, Sheepley, from
Sheeplea, Buckley, and liindley. The
nature of the surrounding trees gives
Ashley, Llndley, klmsley, and oakley.
Some of the surnames OF men indi-
cate the clearings that were made in the
forests. Thus, rod or rood was a
cleared place in the woods, whence we
have AcroydS. where the acorn trees
have been taken away, Lindrood, Hol-
rood, and others of this kind A
greaye was woodland avenue graved
or carved out of the forest, the idea of
cutting being still preserved in our
grave. Thus We find Hargrave, where
the hares were numerous; Congreave,
where the same was true of the comics,
and Bargreaye, indicating the former
profusion Of bars. A slade was q
small strip Of open land in forest. and
thus come Grenslade and Whitslade.
A lande was rich piece of grassy, but
uncultivated ground surrounded by
trees, and hence the Launders, the
Landes, the Lowndes, and the Laundes.
A knowl was a small, skull-shaped hill,
whence our Knowles, knowleTs, and
knOwlings The holme was meadow
land lying about the windings Of a
stream, and from it are derived the
Holmers and the Holmans.
The clough was formerly q narrow
assure between the hills, and the proper
name was thence derived, while the
Clitfes. the Gives, the Cleves, the
Cleyelands, the SATELLITES, Nethercliffes,
Toplitfs. Ledclif,es, the Radcliaes, the
Stonecliiles. lroeklitfes, and Hardcliffes
are all from the same source. A dune
was a hilly slope, and the buns came
from such locality, while combe was
the cup-shaped depression of the hill
side, whence we have Cumberland,
Newcomb, NcwcOmbe, and Slocombe,
with about 100 Others. ANY promi-
hence of earth or rock was cop, or
cope. Hence come the CopeS, the Cop
lcys, the CopelandS, and the Copestakes.
Cob was 5ut another form Of the same
word. whence come the CobbS, the Iob-
hams. the tobwells, the Cobdens, and
the { OJlcys.
Some OF the trees have given family
names to quite number of distin-
guished families The Washes once
lived near ash trees, the Naiiers close
to alders, while the origin of the Nokes.
the Becches, the Iinds and Linden
woods, the l.indhurts and the Birches
is equally plain. Tut other rural OBJ.
Jcets also contributed their share 10 the
names of families. A common English
sight is the park gate, which is often
conspicuOuS from afar, and the Lind
gates, the FOldgates, the Parkates, aud
the kirkates still testify 10 the original
occupations OF the founders of the fam
lies bearing those names. A hearne
was any nook or corner of land, so
those who lived there became known as
the Hearnes, while gore was mar
row detlle in the mountains, aud gave a
name 10 those living near il.
A croft was an inclosed pasture, and
has given us the Meadowcrofts, the
Ryecrofts, and the Haycrofts A hay
was hedge, whence cone the liayes,
the Woodhayes, the Haynes, the lIawes,
the Roundhayes, the Heywoods, aud
others. An acre was piece Of culti-
waited land. whence the Akermans, the
Oldacres, the Goodacres, the ongacres,
and the Whittakers. OF the Barnes il
is not necessary TO speak, but the Booths
were so-ealled from their habitation of
boughs, as also were the Boothmans,
the Bowers, and the Bowermans. Town
formerly meant farm, as Wycliife used
II with this signihcation in his transla-
ton of the scriptures, and the Towns,
the Towncs, the TownerS, and the
Townsends, or the Townsenders, still
remain 10 perpetuate the name. Tho
family residence in many parts OF
England Is still tho bury; the Burys,
the Bourrows, the Burroughs, the
Broughs, aud the Bugges still recall il.