The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-12-08
THE ORIGIN OF NAMES.
Bill Arp Finds it u Curious and In.
terestirfg Study.


Twas Illuminating about the origin OF
namos, Anglo-SaXon names, aud find it
toobe curious and interesting study.
For instance, is it possible that the
original Bledsoe was wounded in g.
fight or by accident and bled so much
that 1T gave him name. Is it proba-
BILE the Redwine ancestor had a vine
yard and made wine Of that color or
maybe did not have vineyard but
was much given to looking upon the
wine when 1t was red II seems that
the common people didn't need but ono
name until long after the Christian era.
The Romans, however, began q system
to honor and distinguish distinguished
people. They adopted pre-nCmen-
nomen and a cogpomen-as Publius
Cornelius Scipio Publius was his Chris
tian name, as we call it, and no doubt
the boys called him Pub. Cornelius,
his family name and Scipio was his
most notable character istic, for he was
good to his blind old father and led
him about with staff, and scipio
means a staff. | have great respect
for Scipio. Horace was called Hora-
teous because he had very large ears,
and Flaccus means flop-eared. 1t was
not till the eleventh century that
family names were banded down to
succeeding generations, and this Gus
tom was adopted because Of q law re-
quiring births and marriages and
deaths to be registered in the parish
books. AS late as the eighteenth CEN
tury many families in England had no
surnames, and the children were given
nicknames, as Nosy, Soaker, Sucker,
Snaggletooth, Cockeye, jumper, Bow
legs, Redtop, etc.
AZ npOnla ppltinlio1 ,,y,
had to be devised to distinguish them.
Prefixes and affixes were resorted to.
The word son was added to distinguish
the father from the children, as John,
johnson. viii, Wilson, Tomson. The
word Fltz was prefix to Norman
names and came from fills or film, a
son. Witch in the Russian language
has the same meaning, and so has Won
or van in German, and Mac in Scotch
and Irish, as Macdonald, the son of
Donald. . is an Irish prefix and means
grandson, as OConnor, OBarr, O'Hal-
laran, etc. De or Due is the Frenc h
prefix for son and Ap means the same
in Wclch. These af1ixes and prcfixes
Will classify great number of names,
for from John came Jonson, Johnston
and Johnstone. The Smith family
name had q peculiar origin. The old
Anglo SaXOns were ever on the look
out for invasions of the island, and
hence they kept large force of men On
the hills near the coast to look out for
the invaders and 10 smite them when
they came. These men had but sim
gle name, as John or Jack or Will, but
they were known as John tho Smitor
or Jack the Smiter, or Will the smi-
ter, which was soon abridged to John
Smiter and then to John Smither, and
finally TO John Smith. A smith is
sm !er-a goldsmith smites gold,
blacksmith smites iron. And so all
these soldiers on the highlands be.
came Smiths by name, and were good
patriotic fighting stock. Hurrah for
the Smiths-includiDg John. The
Jones family are Of Wclch extraction,
and no doubt ha1 similar origin for
the original name was Jone, and the S
was added to make it plural.
But names were still scarcer than
people, and so they had to resort to
occupations TO distinguish them; hence
came tae honest names of Farmer,
Mason, Baker, Gardner,
Tanner, Weaver. Taylor, Draper,
Cooper, Miller, Porter, Joiner, SadIcr,
Brewer, Barbor, Turner, Plumber,
Thrasher, Carter, Currier, Granger,
Cook, Bridgman, Bowman, etc. Scores
of others could be added that Indicate
trades and occupations.
Not long after, as the people multi
piled, they were named for the places
where they lived or some natural OBJ
ject near by, as Hill, Dale, Forest,
Rivers, Brooks, Branch, Bush. Grubb,
Tree, Stone, Banks, Shore, Beach,
Birch, Waters, Wall, Gill, Peak, Seay,
Rain, Rainwater, Undertake, Rice,
Wheat, Corn, Allcorn, etc.
Thoy even appropriated the names
Of animals, birds, etc, as Lion. Lamb,
Hog, Colt, Fowl Bull, Bullock, Beav-
cr, Bear, Buck, Deer, Swan, Hawks,
Dove, Crane, Bird, Herring, Bass,
Trout, Salmon.
And next the fruits and flowers. as
Apple, Orange, Lemon, Plum, Cherry,
Berry, Haws, Coffee, Turnip and Tur-
nipaced. Colonel Turnip was colonel
Of the Ninth Georgia regiment. OF
flowers and trees, there is Rose, Vlo-
let, Primrose, Chestnut and Holly.
Then they had to cncroach on the
nobility and Clergy, and so we have
King, Queen, Prince, Earle, Lord,
Duke, Knight, Page, Stewart, Cham
berlain, Pope, Bishop, Priest Abbot,
prior, Deacon and Bailey.
And on the heavenly bodies and
heavenly things and precious stones,
as Sun, Moon, Star, Cloud, Wind, Gale,
Sky, Angel, Diamond, Pearl, Gold,
Glass, Jewel, etc.
And on parts of the body, as Head,
Heart, Beard, Hair, Arms, Legg, Foot,
Shinn, Back, Hipp, Hand, etc.
And on colors, a. White, Black,
Brown, Green, Redd, Blue, Gray,
Hoar and Violet.
Some were named on account OF per-
sonal pecuiarities-as Long, Long.
fellow, Stringfellow, Short, Small.
Strong, Meek, Lightfoot, Good, Best,
Bliss, Wise, Witt, Wsdam, Ftc and
Fitten.
Bat there are enough for the young
io.kS to build onto and make a very
good catalogue OF names. Chu'les
Lamb says that the original ma Of
Bacon WAS Hogllesh, VINO WAS a \ ry
wealthy ard clever gentleman, bu ais
girl wouldn't marry him because she
couldn't bear 10 be called Mrs. Hognesh.
1t would be awful. And so he applied to
parliament ana had his name changed
TO Bacon. He couldn't give up the
whole hog, but took it cured. Many
names were abridged or changed from
circumstances. John at the Moor was
changed to Atmore, AT the Wood 10
Atwood aud Peter at the Seven Oaks
to Peter Snooks. WIZ! the tailor,
had sign OF q peacock over his shop,
and got to be called Will Peacock.
Ansclm, the pawnbrokcr, had sign
OF red shield, which in the Jewish
language was Rothschild, and so he
and his brothers were called Roths-