The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-02-01
ORIGIN OF f$SURNAl[ES
PREFlxES OF VARIOUS KINDS AND
WHAT THEY MEAN.

Some Of the Local Designations Ot
Ancient Times From Which Have
Descended the Personal NOmencln-
tu-e of the Present Day.
In nearly every country where per-
sonal nomenclature has assumed sure
and settled basis-that is, where a Sec
ond or surname has become heredi-
tary possession in the family-we shall
find that that portion of it which is OF
local origin bears by far the largest pro-
portion to the whole. PrefiXes of vari-
ous kinds were at first freely used 80
declare more particularly whence the
nominee was sprung. Thus if he were
come from some town or city he would
be William of York or John of Bolton,
Gamiliarly pronounced William York
or John Bolton. This, CT course, is
met in France by de, as it was also Oh
English soil during early Norman times
Ii, on the other hand, the situation
only Of the abode gave the personality
OF Shenominee, the connecting link was
varied according to the hunor or ca
price oG the speaker or relative aspect
Of tho site itself Thus We fad such
entries as John Abovc-brook CT Adelina
Ahove-town Or Thomas Behind water
or John Beneath-the-town The )rd
Lane is fouad attached to the personal
name il the following ways: Ceciliain
the Lane, Emma a la Lane, John de la
Lane John de Lane, Mariota en lie
Lane, Philippa ate Lane and Thcnas
super Lane.
Of the definite terms used some are
purely Norman, some purely Latin, "a
few an adn:i.ture OF the two, and the
rest are Saxon, atte being the chief one.
This atte was sat the, +" answering to
the Norman de la, del or du, and was
famiiarly contracted by our forefathers
into the other forms OF ate and att, or,
for the sake Of euphony, when a vowel
preceded the name proper, extended to
"atten. This ATTIC or ait was OCCASION
ally incorporated with the sobriquet of
locality and thus became a recognized
part of the surname itself Thus such a
namo as John atte Wood, or Gilbert
ATTIC Wood, has bequeathed US not mere
ly the familiar Wood, but Artwood and
Atwood also. In like manner atte-
Ridge has become Attridge; atte-Field,
Attield, while such other designations
as atte-Town, atte-Hill, atte- Worth,
attc-Tree and atto- -Clitfe are nowadays
Alton, Athill, Atworth, Attree and At
cliffe.
Such name as De Ia Dene or Atte
Den, of frequent occurrence formerly,
and as Dean or Den, equally familiar
now, is worthy of particularity. \ den
was sunken and wooded vale, where
cattle might find alike covert and pas
turc. We have Il remembrance of the
brock in Brockron, the wolf in Wolfen-
den, the fox in Foyden, the ram IL
RaInsden, tho hare il Harden and the
deer in Dearden, Buclden or Bugden,
Raydn and Roden, or Rowden. The
moro domesticated animals abide with
Us IN Horsden. Oxenden, Cowden, Bor-
den and Susden, or Sowden, Swinden,
Eversden and Ogden, at first written de
Hogedene.
Tho lee afforded shelter TO all manner
Of domestic live stock and some few of
the wilder quarry. The equine species
has given us Horsley, the bovine Cow
ley, Kinleo and Oxlee or OSley; the
deer, Hartley, Rowley, Buckley and
Hindley; the hare, Harley, and the
sheep, Shipley. Characteristic Of the
trees which inclosed it we get Ashley.
Elmsley, Oakley, Lindley or Berkeley.
Our Harsreayes hail from the grove
where the hares are plentiful, and our
Congreaves represent tae same in the
coney Our Cloughs represent the mar
row tissurcs between the hills. 10 the
same root we owe our Clives, Cliifes,
Cloves and Cloves. besides endless Gilt
fords, Cleyelands, Turniclitfes, SUIT
cliifes, Ratcliffs, Faircloughs, etc.
Another branch of local surnames
throws a light upon the migratory hab-
its and rowing tendencies of our forefa-
theirs. Thus such name as Peter 10
Newe or Gilbert 10 Ncwcomen or Wal
ter le Neweman declares to us at once
it's origin. Then there is no village or
hamlet in England which has not sub
scriEed in this manner to our nomen-
claturc, as Ralph dc Debenham or Miles
do Ashford a passing from onc part of
the British empire to another has been
a prolific source OF names. Thus we
find Henry de Irlaund, Adam de Irland,
Roger le Escot and Maurice le Scot.
Other countries also furnished many
names. The Arters. once registered dc
Artcys, came from Artois, tho Gasklns
and Gascoignes, from Gascony, while
10 Champagne we are indebted for tho
Champncys. TO Lombardy and tho
Jews wo owe the Lombards, Loumbards
and Lubbards. From lie Aleman or do
Alinania or le Alcmaund have sprung
our Alemans, Almaines and Allmans
and through the French probably our
Dalmaines, Dalmans and Dolnlans.
a class of surnames which occupies
30 mean place is that bequeathed by the
dionitaries and officers of medieval
times. These include king, priest, ABBOT,
prior and many others. In considering
the sulnamcs Of occupation, we rcmem-
Der that every village had its thatcher,
to make and mend the roofs. FROM this
yc gct the surnamcs Thatcher, Thaciler