The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-13
THE ORIGIN OF SURNAMES.

. lhE UklGlN Ut SURNAMES
In . second-hand store some time aro
found wcll-worn cory OF an Interesting bool
written BY the father OF President Arthu,
i while he was pastor Of = Baptist church q
Nswtcuvile Albany county. New York, II
!, 1855. The title IL AN Etymolosicai Dction
ary Of Family and Christian Names with al
Essay on Their Derivation and Import b,
4, William Arthur. A. NJ" He gives a list o
/, $500 surnames ana 500 bap,ismai names whicf
, are most common among our people. ma.
iority OF thcm appear to be OF Gaelic. Celtic
: and Saxor origin. AN names" tho author
says must have been OFFICIALLY significant.
and he explains the customs that prevailed
among the ancient races in naming their
young. He says that the Jews always named
their children on the eighth day. the Crooks
on the tenth dNy. when the event was celc-
bratcd BY entertainments to the friends OF
the parents and sacrinces offered to the gods.
Tho Romans named their female children on
the ninth day after birth. which they called
the day of publication. and solsulnized with a
feast.
Mt. Arthur gives the derivation ana moan
ing OF nearly every name In common use
says was originally wessynston, and was
taken from the place In England where the
family originated; from weis or wash, a
creek setting in from the sea, the shallow
part Of river: eng means n meadow or
low ground. and ton town or hill. 40
that Washington means the town on q salt
creek.
Arthur. his own name, means strong
man; from AR u,aA vir). man. and
thor" strong, In the Gaelic "air" 10 the
same as dear" man. and the ancient
scythians called a man "aior." Thor was
the jupiter OF the Teutonio races their God
OF thunder. In Welsh ',arth" Is a bear--an
emblem of strength and COURAGE, and "ur"
n noun termination. n man. Arthur" was
bear man, hero n man Of strength. the
name OF n British prince.
~ \
"Grant--of this nnmc Playtnlr remarks
tina, II may be derived from the Saxon, Irish
or French. In tho Saxon Grant signifed
crooked or bowed. Thus Cambridge. the town
and university OF England so called, signifies
crooked bridge or rather bridge upon
Cam river or the crooked and winding river.
The saxons called this town Grant Bridge,
cam in the British and grant in the Saxon
$50 Mons Gramphins, the Gramphian hill,
was called by the saxons Granz Ben or the
crooked hill; but we can not see bow from
this saxon word tho surname should be Dor
rowed.
''In the old Irish grandma signifies ugly.
Yll-fayored Grande' signifies wNrk swarthy.
Grant and char signify much tho same
thing. or are synonymous words, and there
being tribe of tho Grants called Clan Char |
an Il IL the same as Clan Grant Thus the !
surname might havo been taken from a pro !
genitor that was Char or Grant-that 10 to |
say, n Bwarthy or gray bearded man-and |
though in time Grant became the common |
and prevailing surname, yet some always re
tanned the other name--Chiaran-and are |
called Clan Chiaran.
I'm the French Grant signifies great. brave
valorous. and from thence many are inclined
to think that the surname Grant is taken
from grand. which in the Irish Is sounded
short. and thereby the letter d at tho end
OF the word is changed into - and thus
Grand into Grant. The surname. II seems.
was thus understood In England about 800
years ago. for Richard Grant was madc arch
biphop of Canterbury In the year 1929. and Is
In Mr. Anderson's gon ealoEical tables as well
as by others expressly called Richard Grant.
But the English historians Of that time, writ
Ing In Latin. call him Richard Magnus. which
plainly shows that they took Grant to BIO the |
same with the French grand and that Latin
to which. let us add, that in the
Did writs the article the is nut before the
surname Grant"
The name Conklng is said to be derived
rom con-" bold, wise. knowing, and klein" !
little. or son--thpt is. the son Of Con- "Kon- '
selenp In Dutch signifies to plot. intrigue, c
,onspire "Cloangleann' Gaelic. 1.-THE head @
If the valley I
Blaine comes from the town of Blain. in o
France. MIR. Arthur says; "Blaen
n tho Welsh signifies the summit or top; 7
he same MS PEN brig and bar the a
highest part OF mountain: the end or ton [
II an object: tho inland extremity OF glen; 9
leader or chief" o
Cameron means crooked. or crooked nose.
rom the Gaelic cam" crooked. and ''eron." v
ose -
John sherman's name comes from "a shear a
nan. one who used to shear cloth. Villain. :,
by father was a plasterer and thyself !,
hearman. -
gnify gracious.
Il.
anne is derived from lin In the Gaelic. =,
Welsh and Cornish British. which signifies =
ool pond or lake. and COIN tho ridEe or
eek OF hill. so called from It's situation.
! II occupies tho ton and side OF a steep
III on the river witham. which here divides
ito three streams"
Garfield is local Saxon. "Karwisn.' TO pre- .
are; German and Dutch. gar" dressed
,ne, ready. prepared and field" place
here everything is finished necessary for an = =
my =
Bliss In English is happy name. imposed u
others on tho individual "Blys" In tho
elsh signifes deriving. longing. /"
~
"Butler--This family derive their origin =
ON the old counts OF BrioDy. or Biony. In N
a descendant OF whom. Hervius =,
ia Walter accompanied the conaueror into
ngland His son. Theobold, went with Henry ~
into ireland. where. having assisted In the :"
duetion of the kingdom. he was rewarded "
It'll large possessions there and made II the ~
ace Of his residence. The king afterwards
nfarred on him the office of chief butler OF |"