The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-07-18
MEMORABLE NAMES.
Walter NelIman Makes a Study Of
Famous Family Patronymies.

One Hundred Ang1o-Saxon Names Con-
spicuous in American History-Smith
Leads the List, While Williams, Jones,
Clark and johnson Take High Honors.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, July Ibid you ever
make a study of names? I never did
until today, when it occurred to me to
inquire what names have most frequent
ly appeared in the list of American
statesmen. I was prompted to this by
the fact that now for the first time in
the history of the country two men bear
ing the same name sit in the cabinet
councils.
In making this study of names and
families, collated from official sources
a list of about 10000 of the men who
have held conspicuous place in the pub
lie service since the foundation of the
republic. The classes of persons in
cluded are delegates to the Colonial and
Continental congresses, the senators, rep
resentatives and territorial delegates of
the federal congress, cabinet ministers,
justices of the supreme and other federal
courts, high officials of the executive
departments, governors Of states and
territories, diplomatic ministers, and
such other men as have held positions Of
honor and trust in the civil service or
exerted influence upon public affairs.
The list of 10000 names embraces prac-
tically all of those men who have helped
to make the history of their country,
though as rule the names Of those who
distinguished themselves in military or
naval service are not included, save
where they also won distinction in civil
life.
was surprised to discover that about
$500, or one-ouarter of all these names,
were embraced in 100 family patronym-
les. These 100 names become interest
ing to us, therefore, not only for the
great careers which they suggest and
the vast influence their owners have ex-
erted upon the affairs of the country,
but because they unerringly give us a
compendium of 100 typical American
family names.
The reader who cares to do so may
take these 100 pure and prominent
American family names and still fur
Their analyze them. For instance, he
could note their almost unvarying An
glo-Saxon derivation and how they have
come down to us through British, Scotch
and Irish influences, planted in the COL
onies of New England, New York, Penn
sylvania, Virginia and the Carolinas,
and thence rapidly diffused by migra-
ton and settlement throughout the
length and breadth Of the country. l
think, from a cursory examination Of
the subject, that deeper and more COM
prehensive inquiry and analysis would
enable one to choose 100 families from
the lists Of New England, New York,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and
Carolina colonists, and show that the
diffusion of their blood had given to the
country fully one-half of its statesman
ship and civil leaders.
The 100 names which are entitled to
rank as Of greatest Importance nurner-
ically in the history of the republic,
with the number of individuals of each
name who have won distinction in civil
life, are given below. A pretty careful
approximation of the number Of indi-
viduals is given in the first thirty names,
and the remaining seventy names follow
in the order of their numerical impor-
lance: