Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-07-08
SURNAMES.
The Origin Of Many That are Now
Familiar to Us.

tiIi't NiltIl SGIlidiIttS III came INTO
regular use. No doubt the process was
very gradual one. and its epoch
varied in different countries, but that
they were general at a comparatively
early period Of the civilization Of each
nation needs no insisting on. To give
but single instance. in the year
13S, Christianity first became wide
spread in Poland. and great numbers
of men and women were baptized at
one time.
10 simplify ana expedite matters
with so large concoursc. IL became
the custom of the officiating clergy To
bestow the same name upon whole
patches of people who came to lie ad-
united into the church. At one bap-
tism. for example. the name Of Peter
was conferred upon all the men and
Catharine upon all the women. on
another occasion they would all be
Pauls and Margarets. and 50 on.
Great confusion must inevitably
have been the result. and the rapid
adoption of Il system of patronymics
was the only escape from the difficulty
The origin of our word surname. for
merly occasionally Apelt "sirname.
is often supposed 10 be 'sircnamc.
and il was indeed only in the nature OF
things that the earliest kind OF dis
tinguishing second name should have
reference to the parent.
our English Robinsons. Johnsona.
wilson's. and so forth are as common.
ancient and characteristic as the
Scotch Macs and the Irish O's. which
no
need scarcely b said, though often
considered essentially Scotch, Is com
mon to the twu nations.
While Mac" may be translated son.
70" IL more properly grandson The
Norman equivalent is "Fitz. cor
ruptiou al fills" The Russian termina-
.iuu WITT" signifies the same word, as
also the Polish sky" With regard I"
the Welsh "ap." which also means
spn. matters stand rather differently.
iot in this ease ZAP" "a a separate
word. and l. not incorporated in the
Mole name except as corruption.
also il may be introduced an indefinite
number Of times in Che same .appella-
ton. 80 that q Welsh surname can CON
Wv a complete gencalosN and be-
moreover, one Of the longest words IN
civilization II is a common joke to
laugh AZ Il WelShman for his long ilst
~ ancestors with the connecting APPS.
The corruption of the "ap'' has led to
4 number Of common notifications Of
Ola Welsh names, rs Price for ap-
Ehvs. P.it. hard for ap-Richard.
Powell FOR ap-i!owen. and many
others. Probcrt. prohyn. Pugh. Perry
as als the ~ being similar To the
"p''-reNan. Barry and the like
Another Welsh form OF family name
that which simply puts the Christian
name into the EentiVe case-has con-
trihutoi many Of oar commonest sur
names. az Jones. i. T.. Johns. Harry's-
Harris, William. Hughes, etc.
The roots of cur family names. as Of
our families themselves. have sprung
from among many nations and many
tongues. There are wellnigh innumer-
uble cases iii England Of surnames
y.hirh point Enthusiastically to the for
ign country. and frequently, too, ac-
tual neighboranod or town even. from
which the family originally migrated
though no other kind of record may
exist to prove that. in far-oif times
they came from over the seas.
OF the original Anglo Saxon there
are some few survivals. Some can be
traced in TIE termination ing" which
among Teutonic people signiiied on
spring." Browning and Whiting III TINS
way would mean the dark or fail chill
ulren.
PIacc-names from Normandy and
! Brittany are very common, as might
be supposed. Darcy. Nevill, Ferrers,
pevereux. Warren. Percy. Marmion.
Tankerville. st. Aubin. Lascelle Nor
Icy-all these and many others can
readily be referred to their original
birthplaces.
IN others. through corruption of the
word. the locality is not SO easy TO
trace. though still there-as. for eX-
annie. the name of st. Mature. which.
by process of time. has come to stand
as SEYMOUR: Valoins which we now
know only in its English surname as
Violence etc. Some of our names.
again. have a Netherland birthplace.
as Gaunt. which was originally Gheht;
St. Ledger and Bridges. which last
! is a corruption. in all pcobabi't'y' oi
Bruges.
II needs no pointing out nov ca9HJ
nJaca-names can become family names.
,ro distinguish an individual by the
/ n,n1c of his home. birthplace or resi-
dence was a ready means OF securing
his identity. In rural districts and
among population that continued Tor
generations in the same hohlesteads.
nlace-names would be given from nj
TO, features of locality, as WOOD ana
nm ana Lane and Da.c.
In this connection wc can ma 4
,,,,,nbor Of ancient words for count
objects which have long aGo oee'i'e
I, ,hsolote and forgotten. "Cowiray
for instance. in olden days sisn''',i q
grove of hazel: Garth IS old f.nsiiaa
far ward. "Hithc" for ha'.n'
..cornctt" for a granary: SHAW Tor
small wood. The common sufna'.a
uaad & really place-name. heat
heing frequent term for promon-