The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-09-07
FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.
FACTS ANo FANClES LIKELY TO
PLEASE THEM.


Mean some stories of the Chiid-Kinl
of spain-The Fisherman Who Ruled q
CITY.
"rcii Us how people got the names they 70
hv. Uncle Nick" asked Jack one evening
ms We sat around the study table. And
how did some of them come 70 Doe 50 out
landish How there's MIR. llundcrpundt
the baker. lie says he doesn't know how
hc got his name, hut he's sure it means Mr.
lluudrcpounds."
GLOW did people get their Names inter
posed Tom. Nv ny, they always had them.
~pid they 3" sand ncle Nick. Nv hat do
YOU say To- that. MillicF
.-I'm not sure" answered Mile. "surely
cart think OF anybody that never had a
flmc. hat there certainly were some per
Alns mat didn't have last name. as We
have. There was Alexander the Great and
Charles ihc Great and Sau. Of Iarsus.'
..Na." said ucle Nick, people did not
alwa,s have last name which descended
from father 90 son. have called IL last
uamc because Mile did, but the correct
word 90 use Is surname, which - derived
from the Latin super, meaning upon or over,
and momcn, "a name. Surname, therefore,
~frnites name that is supCradded or
written over another name, and. in fact, II
WIS 40 written at first.
..Nou sec as Mile has suggested, some
persons AT one time had only one name. and
you might readily see that there might hap
t..n 90 he "a good many Johns. OF Richards
on Ibumases. and some way had 10 be found
ID Tell one from another. IL, for example, "A
man named John happened 20 live in the
city of Lyons he was called John Of Lyons
n I'M Manchester, John Of Manchester.
..Thc more ancient names. saul OF Iarsus,
Philip of Macedon, and the like, were FORM
cd oh lust the same principle.
..ln course of time the of was gradually
drnpucd. John Of Lyons. and John Of Man
chester then became John Lyons and John
Manchester. By far the greater number OF
suruame~ have been derived In this way.
There is scarcely town or village in Eng-
land. scotland or Normandy that has not
given name 90 some family in England.
~Ilowcycr." / ncle Nick continued, las
rbe mere addition Of the name of the town
,,a- NOT "a sufficient mark Of distinction
where there were many Johns or IhOmases,
we next hud people named from their Occu-
f,lfinns Or urufe~s iOns. There was John the
tinker. John the Brewer, John the Archer,
John the Carpenter. John the smith, and 80
ou. In course of time no note was taken
of iho 'ihc. and thus We got the names
Mason. Painter. Potter. Glover Fisher,
H4k.r and so on. through the whole ll.t.
But one minute, If you please, Uncle
Nick" iniorposcd Jack, who was now Gag
,tiy running through the pages of directo-
ry living before him. Where did such
names as those come from: This reads like
rbe catalogue OF menagerle. Here are
g.amh,. Doves, W oodcocks, Badgers, Lions.
Saalin,yS and PeacOcks, seemingly without
emu
~AliMo,e namcs." replied Uncle Nick.
..came from ihc ilucied rcsemblauces that
their original pl~sesScrs bore 10 the dilierehl
animals aud birds named
And did the Butlers. Abbotts. Priests,
Bis Iop.. Deans, Shepherds, stewards, Cham
l.ri. rus. Cooks. ~ergeants, foWlers, get
fl.,r rtmD- because they hlled the different
.lI.... corresponding tu those names!
a-l.d NIlIe. who was now beginning 10
nrd ,no directory interesting and sugges-
ts. a. Wei u.s. useful.
..Iu-t sos responded her uncle. More
over. in lihr manner some oi our modern
r4nl.- have been taken from titles Of honor.
H.mlff. 0r estate. such names are Ming,
I.h.. Lord. Baron. Knight, etc.
..rurn again." nclc Nick confined I'll a
nf, whose single name WAS John was
doom. % wise. Doe was often called john the
Ni... ifharlN. John the Hardy; if a pretty
....I n,.u. John the Goodman. y man
-fran. nf arm was nicknamed John the
Armstrong: those whose compleAions were
black. brown. -recn on white. were dubbed
t,Dn thc BLACK. and so forth. I'm all these
rl-D- the article "fhe' was finally dropped
and thus arose that curious class oi names
taken from the Qualities OF the mind, ana
fr,n tla pDrfcctions and imperiections OF
1Ne body. r,.
.ln earl, times. as q ruie the name OF the
f.,s.r did not descend 10 the son, hui the
SOD. Hkc th- father. was known either 10y
h.~ occupation Or hy that quahtt or cIcUIh-
stance most appropriate Tor hllh' INV
.ttr. Do WA. customary, too. Tor "a son 10
aitYnl hi- fathers name by the addition "I
90, word '-1n. and 10 is thus we sol 'he
names Robertson. williamson, Dickson
johnson. and the like.
..NouMnf it Doe nice ID We now gave
names as people used to- exclaimed l"ni'
-rm sure yours would he GOOdielloN M
.-f.ad ID Perkins. ncle Nick
|ncl. Nick smiled and said: "Maybe IT
would ,c % good thing ana may pe not Ger
frirls some people are hurdened win man
lf--tly inappropriate ANA unpleasant h''nes
For instance. MIR. lioeg. al least in name, H.
not 3D. desirable person iO invite 10 dine. We
should Dee wary about hiring the lawyer Mr.
~barp. and think we would hesitate about
b.yinr any dealings with our iradcsman.
ar. Skinner. IL t.c didn't nave more lallh ID
lial Cham i'm his name
.lf.rc i- something from my scrap-Dook,
Uncle \ick. which expresses what you
mean" said Millic.
SIR. O. u1 in % passion knocked down. Mr.
Alr. Srenru like an aspen leaf shiyers;
Miss J00lr used [ D dance. but She stands IKE
90 stock.
livery sine. She became Mrs. RittrS
MI sur hobbies onward. 10 mortal know
how,
Hc moves as though cords did entwine him.
Mr. 81 ffd ran 1n upon meeting COW,
Vim pale Mr. Iunbull behind MIN.
since uclc Nick's chat about names we
fnt lots uf fun looking through directory
and irving to guess and account Tor the
meaglnes of the various odd names gwen
there IL is as good as game. Try. II
-lm,time.-i rank b. Brandt, IN fniladei-
phia Iimc-.