The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-02
ORIGIN of NICKNAMEs.
Derived From All Sorts of Objects
and Circumstances.
From the New York Post.

and Circumstances.
From the New York Post.
Accepting the accredited origin of the
term nlckname-"an exc name or added
name-we might properly use 1t in our
reference TO family names as a whole.
But whatever the derivation Of the term,
it has received through usage particu-
lar meaning, and it is in this acquired
sense that here employ it. Webster de-
fines il: "A name given in contempt,
derision, or sportive familiarity; a ia
miliar or an opprobrious epithet."
If swnames had grown up in an age
comparable with ours in culture and
deIcacy of feeling, we should not have
had many Of the names now in use. The
early days were characterized by a spirit
of buffoonery and a tendency TO bur
lesque An English writer says: There
is something indescribably odd. when we
reflect about It, that the turn of toe,
the twist of leg, the length of limb,
the color of a lock of hair. a conceited
look. spiteful glance, a misery habit
of some in other respects unknown and
long forgotten ancestor, should still, five
or six centuries afterwards, be unblush-
ingly proclaimed to the world by the i'm
mediate descendants therefrOm- And yet
so it is with our Cruikshanks. or White
heads, or Meeks. or Proudmans; thus 1t
IS with our Longmans and Shortmans;
our Biggs and Titles"
The process is described by a letter from
Sir Henry Piers, written in 1852 to Antho-
my, Lord Bishop Of Meath, and giving an
account of Irish sobriquets and cogno-
mems: They take much liberty, and
seem to do it with delight. in giving OF
nicknames; and If man have any imper-
lection or evil habit. he shall be sure TO
hear of it in the nickname Thus, II he
be blind, lame, squint-eye, gray-eyed, be
a stammerer in speech, be left-handed, TO
be sure he shall have one of these added
to his name; so also from his color of hair,
as 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 in draining, building, fenc-
ing, or the like; so that no man whatever
can escape a nicknam me, who lives among
them or conYerseth with them; and some
times so nbidinous are they in this kind
of raiilery, they Will give nicknames per
antiphrasim, or contrariety of speech.
Thus a man of excellent parts, and, be-
loved of all men, shall be called 'Grana,
that is naughty or ht to be complained
of. If a man have beautiful counten-
ance, or lovely eyes, they will call him
'Cueegh,' that is, squint-eyed; If great
housekeeper, he shall be called 'Acken-
sagh,' that is, greedy"
Among the Greeks we find: Sophocles
(wise), Agathios good, Strabo (squint-
eyed, and Paulus Qittle). Among the Ro-
mans Plus, Prudentfus tongues, Naso
(bottle-nose), Calvus (bald-pate), Varus
(boW-legged), and CriSpus (curley headed
Nicknames are of all names the most
tenacious II is said, "A good name will
wear out, a bad one may be turned, buj
a nickname lasts forever" In the effort
to classify nicknames one is almost hope
lessly at sea. A broad classification would
be, nicknames from physical and from
mental and moral characteristics. Stin.
this is not adequate. for there would be
left a large class of sobriquets belonging
to none of these classes. These may be
included under the head of miscellaneous.
Nicknames from physical or external
characteristics include names from pecu>
larities of relationship, age, size, shape,
capacity complexion, dress, etc. In the
old records we find many names derived
from the various relationships of indvtd-
uals. Father, Son, Brother, Unkle, Cous-
en-, Kinsman and Nephew are examples.
Bratherson, Faderless and Widowson are
found, and the last is still in use. Age
has given Young and old, Youngman
and Oldham. Size has contributed many
names-Bigg, Grand or Grant, Small Pet
tit or Peat, and even Littler and Leasr.
From other bodily qualities or character
istics we have for family names such
nicknames as Strong, Cheeks, Jowles,
Merrymouth, Blackeye, Blinde, TAFT
(heaO, Hand, Arms, Finger, Sharks,
Foote's, Lightfoot, Swift, Gobithestie Ego
bit hasty), Slmgaway, Prettiman ana
Winsom.
Complexion has had perhaps the lareest
share in this part of our nomenclature. 1t
offers one of the best means for recogni-
ton. We speak of "brunettes" ana
"blondes" What long list of colors we
have: White, Blank, Hoares, Black,
Swartz, Blackman. Reed, Reid, Read
(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
I4ieth the body of Jonathan Blue,
n. Bills name was Black but that
wouldn't do"
Our Knots and Motifs recall the custom
of having the hair closely cut all around
the head. Passing on to dress and accou-
trements, our Burnetts get their name
from brown cloth at one time very COM
mon. Our Blankets, Blanchets, or Punk
cts have had a similar origin. Curtman-
tie Curthose, W!dehOse, plainly refer TO
the make of the garment. Weapons and
defenses for the body have conferred many
names such as Sword, Buckler, Lance,
Spear, Crook, staff Wand, Rodd, Horne,
Hornblower, Drawsworde, Shakespear,
Hurlbet, Hurlstone. These are but few of
many names that are found, and some are
still in use.
Coming now to nicknames derived from
mental and moral peculiaritles, we learn
how largely the good predominated. Every
where we find Good. Best, Wise. Sage.
Learn, Merry Gay, Blythe. Joyce, Curtis
(courteous), Friend, True. The element Of
good Is partly hidden in many names.
Bunker Is boncoeur, Bonner Is bon heur,
shown in Moody. Todd, Severe, Walur
Waller Weeper Some words used as
names have changed their meaning. Seely
is from silly. a word which originally