The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-08-04
non s0RAlnEs HlD
THEIR FIRST VOGUE
PATCHES OF PEOPLE TOOK THE
SAVE NAME At
BAPTISM.
asueb Confusion Follo~eo-Then an
invention Of System Of Pssro
nyrics FoIIo~ss-Trsses and Col
Isaes Took Par.

A6E4E - ~ fE4 AfEa& AE41sA "a
the time whea surnsmes hrst came
into regular use No doubt the pro-
cess vas q yery gradual one. and It's
epoch varied In different countries
but that they vere general at COM
psratively early period OF civilization
OF each nation needs no insist
ing on. To give but q single instance,
n the year iSsi Christianity first be-
came widespread in Poland, and
great numbers Of men and women
we're baptized at one time. To SIM
pity and expedite matters with so
large 4 concourse Il became the Gus
tom OF the officiating clergy 70 be-
stow the same name upon whole batch
e OF people who came 20 be admitted
70 the church At one baptism. for
example, the name Peter was con-
ferred upon al the men and Catherine
upon all the women. On another oc-
casion they would all be PaHIs and
MargBrets and so on
Great confusion must inevitably
have been the result. and the rapid
adoption OF system Of patronymics
was the only escape from the difficult
y. The origin Of our word surname.
formerly occasionally spelt "sir-
name. Is often supposed to be sire
name. and II was indeed. only In the
nature OF things that the earliest kind
Of distinguishing second name should
have reference TO the parent Our
English Robinsons, Johnsons. Wilson's
and so forth are as common, ancient
aud Characteristic as the Scotch Macs
and the Irish O's, which mean the
same thing. The Mac. IL need scarce
IL be said though often considered
essentially Scotch, is common to the
two nations. as witness the we'll
known doggerel:
BY Mac and O. you'll always know
True Irishmen. they say;
But II they lack both O. and Mac,
No Irishmen are they
While Mac" may be translated
son, 20 is more properly grandson
The Norman equivalent is "Fitz.
corruption OF "hls" The Russian ter
mlnafion ..witz" signifies the same
word. as also the Polish sky" With
regard TO the Welsh ZAP" which also
means son. matters stand rather diff
ferently: for in this case ap' Is
separate word and is not Incorporated
IN the whole lame except as cor
ruption: also IL may be introduced an
indefinite number OF times IN the
same appeilation, so that a Welsh sur
name can convey a complete gene
alogy and be. moreover. one OF the
longest words In civilization. IL Is
a common joke 10 laugh ut Welsh
man for his long list of ancestors with
the connecting APPS.
There is an old story OF an English
man. foreign TO the principally and
lis WAYS riding after dark near
rayfne from which issued cry for
assistance from one who had fallen
In.
who's theres" shouted the Eng
llshman. sJenkins-ap-G rifsith-ap-Wil
liam-ap- Rees-ap- Evan-ap-Robfn. was
the reply.
Lazy fellows. half a dozen Of YOU,
why can't you help each other out!
exclaimed the Englishman. ignorant
az the fact that he was addressing
bus one man.
The corruption of the "ap" has led
10 a number OF common notifications
of old Welsh names. as Price for APP
Rhvs. Pritchard for ap-Richsrd, Pow
Ell for ap-Howell: and many others.
probert. Probyn. Pugh. Penny as also
the 81 being similar TO the
Bevan. Barry. and the like. Another
welsh form Of family name-thas
which simply puts the Christian name
into the genitive case-has contrib
,ised many OF our commonest sur
names. as 1ones, / E.. Johns. Harry >
Harris. Williams. Hughes. etc
The roots Of our family names. as
Of our families themselves. have
sprung from among many nations anc
many tongues. There are we'll nigh
innumerahle cases Ia England OF sur
names which point Enthusiastically to
the foreign eounfry. and frequently.
too. actual neighborhood or town even,
from which the family originally mi
grated. though no other kind or re-
cord may exist TO prove that. IN TAR
of time. they came from over the
seas. OF the original Anglo Saxon
there are some few suryivais, Some
can be traced Ia the termination Ing.
which among Tentonie people. sig
nfiies eofsspring. Browning and
Whsflns In snss way would mean the
dark or fair children.
t-i1Et NAMES AiN4&t 4t&t tt&<4tAt <>@&><
BRITTANY are very common. as might
be supposed darcy. Neyi1l. Fer
rers. Deverenx. Warren. Marmlon.
Tankeryllie, 81. Anhin. LasceIle. Nor
iey-aii these and many Others can
readily be referred to their original
hirthplaces In others. through cor
rnption OF the word. the LEGALITY is
not 50 easy 10 trace. though still there
as. for example. the name ST. Maure.
which. by process Of time. has come
70 stand as Seymour: vaiions. which
ne now know only Ia its English sur
name as Valance. etc. Some az our
names. aSsin. have Ne<heraand
birthplace. as 6annt. which was ORR
rinailv Client; ST. Leger. and Brydkes
which last is a corruption. in al pro-
liability. 81 BraEes
Il necds nc pointinx out how easi-
II place names can become family
names To distinguish an Individual
hy The name OF his home. hirzhplace
81 residence was q ready means o.
securing his 14enlzty In rural dis
s<arfs and aznnnk population that
continued for generations In the same
homexseals. place names would BE-
kiren from trivial features az locality.
as Wood and Hill and Lane and Dale.