The Portland daily press., 1896-08-22
ORIGIN OF MECHANICS.
They Have Sprung From Curious
Sources.
AN INTERESTING STUDY IN
ENGLISH DERIVATION.
Personal Peculfarities Responsible for
Names.


Names.
(From the Ne W York Evening Post.)
Accepting the accredited origin of the
term nickname" exc name" or ad-
eed name-we might properly use it in
pur reference to family names as whole.
But whatever the derivation of the term
1t has received through usage partic-
ular N Gaming, and it is in this acquired
sense that here emp 10y 1t. Webster de-
fines ID: "a name given in contempt, de-
rision, or sportive familiarity; familiar
Or on opprobrious epithet."
If surnames had grown up in an age
comparable with ours in culture and deli
cacy of feeling, we should not have had
many of the names now in use. The
esrly DAYS were characterized by the
spirit of buffoonery and tendency to
burlesque. An English writer says:
There is something indesoribably odd.
when we reflect about it, that the turn
II toe. the twist of a leg, the length
Of limb, the color of lock of hair, a
conceited look, a spitaful glance, q miser-
able habit Of some in other respects I'M
known aud long forgotten ancestor,
should still FIVE or six centuries afterward
be unblushingly proclaimed to the world
by the immediate descendants therefrom.
And yet SO it is with our CrHikshanks.
or Whiteheads, or Meeks, or Prou dmans
thus it is with our Longnans or Short
mans; our Biggs and Littles.''
The process is described by q letter
from Sir Henry Piers, written in 1889 to
Anthony, lord bishop Of Meath, and CIV
ing All account of Irish sorbiquets and
cog uomeus: "They take much liberty,
and seem to do it with delight, in giving
of nicknames and if man has any i'm
perfection or evil habit, he shall be sure
30 hear of 1t in the nickname. Thus, If
he be blind, lame, squint-eyed, be a
BtammeEer in speech, be left-handed, to
lie sure he shall have one of these added to
his name; so also from his color of hair,
RS black, red, yellow, brown, etc., and
from his age, as young or old; or from
what he addicts himself to or much de-
lights In as draining, building, feno-
Ing, or the like; so that no man whatever
can escape a nickname, who lives among
them or oonverseth with them and SO me-
times so libidinous are they in this kind
Of railery, they Will give nioknames per
hntiphrasim, or oontravety of speech.
Thus man of excellent parts and be-
loved of all men, shall be called 'Grana, ,
that is, naughty, or fl to be complained
Of II man have a boa utiful oounte-
nance, or lovely eyes, they will call him
Cueegh," that is, squint-eyed; If great
housekeeper, he shall be called SAC
kensagh, that is, greedy"
Among the Greeks we find: Sophooles
(wise). Agathios (good). Strabo (squint-
eyed), and Paulus (little) Among the
Romans Plus, Prudentius, Longus, Naso
(bottle nose), Calvus (bald-plate), Varus
(bow-legged). and Crispus (curly head
ed).
Nicknamss are of all names the most
tenacious. 1t is said, "a good pane will
wear out, bal one may be turned, but
q nickname lasts forever.' In the effort
to classify names ono is almost hopelessly
at sea. A broad classification would be,
nioknames from physical and from men,
tai and moral characteristics. Still this
is not adequate, for there would be left a
large class of sobriquets belonging to
none of these classes. These may be in
oluded under the head of miscellaneous.
Nicknames from physical or external
characeristics include names from peou-
liarities of relationship, age. size, shape,
capacity, complexion, dress, etc. In the
old records we find many names derived
from the various relationships of indi-
viduals. Father, son, brother, uncle,
cousin, kinsman and nephew are exam
Piles. Brotherson, Faderless and Widow
son are found, and the last is still in use.
Age has given Young and Old, Young
man and Oldham. Size has contributed
many names-Bigg, Grand or Grant,
Small, Petit or Peat, and even Litter
and Least. From ether bodily qualities
or characteristics we have for family
names. such nioknames as Strong, Cheeks
Jowies, Merrymouth, Blaokeye, Blinde
TAFT (head) Hand, Arms, Finger, Shanks,
Foote'S, Lightfoot Swift, Gobithestie tgo
q bit hasty), Slnagway, Prettman and
Winsom.
Complexion has had perhaps the largest
share in this part of our nomenclature.
It offers one of the best means for recog-
milton. We speak of "brunet'' and
"blonds" What long list of oolors we
have: White. Blank. Hoares, Black,
Swartz, Blackmsn, Reed, Reid (red, }
brown, Bruner, Boyd yellow, Blue,
Gray, Green, Dun, Russell, Motley, This
epitaph is said to be in church in Berk-
shire: -
Underneath this ancient pew
:. Lieth the body of Jonathan Blue,
N. 3. Ills name was "Black :" put that
wouldn't do.
Our Knots and NotBs recall the custom
CT having the hair closely cut JAIL round
the head. Passing on to dress and 40
GOVERNMENTS, our Brunetts get their name
from a brown cloth at one time very
common. Our Blankets Blanchets or
Plunkets have similar origin, Curt
mantle, Curthose, Widehese, plainly re-
fer TO the make Of the parmsnt Woo,ons