Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-03-21
WHENCE NAMES COME
THs SURPRISING CHANGES THAT
TIME HAS WROUGHT.

Who Would Think. For Instance.
fhat the Name Thoms. whftehorse
oriEinnsiy Indicated ssrhomas nj
the siss or the white uorsetv
Considering the surprising chanres
that many names have undergone. saws
MISS Laura Alton Payne Ia the indie |
pendent. the almost universal lack of |
knowledge concerning their origin Is
not to be wondered at What is there
In Peter Shocks" to suggest TO the
uninitiated that originally 1t was sPe-
ter at the Seven Oaksf' Though
ihoinas Whitehorse' suggests the
American Indian custom in names
originally IL was Thomas at the White
Horse" or Thomas at the Sign of the
White Horse" "a tavern). Sidney is n
corruption OF st Denys, Sinclair of 81.
Clair. Seymour or St Maur, Janeway
or Genoa, Curtis OF courteous. Armi-
tage OF hermitage" Sperk OF Sparrow
hawk. Emerson and America had the
same origin-Almeric. an old Norman
name, Amerigo being the Italianszed
form.
Names, Ike things. are not always
what they seem. Beers and Berry are
not beers" and berry" bot a corrup-
ton or borough" often written
bury" and "bery"
In the beginning a single personal
name suficed. For awhile no two per-
sons bore the same name but as a
stock of names accumulated r. Ell
tons became common. and as the poD-
ulation OF the world increased dlstinc-
| tive
we read OF John the Baptist and John
the Disciple. Darius Hystaspls and Al
exander the Great. Joshua. son OF Nun.
and Simon Barjonas-"Simon. son Of
Jonas"
Surnames were first used I'm France.
becoming general there during the lat
ter part OF the tenth or the fore part of
the eleventh century. They were used
| hereditarily TO some extent. however.
prior TO that time. They were intro
duced into England at the Norman
conquest In the year 1OG6, but it re-
quired two or three centuries to estab-
fish the body Of our nomenclature on
n fixed basis. During that time sur
names became general throughout the
British isles except in Wales. In some
parts OF which they are unknown to
this day.
Surnames are now general in all
civilized countries. believe. except
Turkey. In England alone there are
! from 10000 to 10000 existing sur
names.
| Surnames have been drawn from ev-
cry available source-personal names,
location. occupation. deeds OF prowess,
mental. moral and physical attributes,
terms OF relationship. the human body,
farm AMI household articles, buildings.
foods and drinks. modes OF travel. ma
tons and laws. customs and religions,
| geographical terms. weather and sea
sons. months andSdays, measures and
values. the joys and ills OF life, the
animal, mineral and vegetable king
dom and even from the kingdom OF
heaven. Tie use OF nicknames and
compound terms gave an almost In
exhaustible source. Even oaJhs be-
came embodied. as i'm PardOe. from par
Dieu.
In most countries Il is customary
for the wife TO take her husbands
name. but I'm some European countries
Il is not unusual for the husband to
append the wife's name. particularly
when it is more honorable than his
own. Hyphenated names and the
wife's retention of her maiden name
for a middle name are customs grow
ing IN favor in the United States and
Great Britain.
Among the earliest names introduced
by the conquest were found Serl. Drew,
Bryce, Harvey. Arnold C'ern"-eagle),
ALFRED (now known as Albert and ALI
bright, Almeric, Ingelram. Ebrardus
| Qsverard). WARM (Guerln, now War
rem, Two, Hamon QIammond), and
Payn Originally Pagan. After their
adoption as surnames the most of these
became obsolete as personal names.
The most popular personal names
since the Domesday Book recorded
| them have been John and William. but
their derivatives are too numerous to
mention here. Roger. Robert and Rich
ard took Il double nickname in III and
d; hence Hodge and Dodge. Hobbs
and DobbS. Hicks and Dicks, with the
rougher forms OF the last-Higgs and
Diggs. and even Hitch, giving rise TO
Dickens. Hitchcock and Higginson.
Diminutive and other affiXes served
an important part in the origin Of sur
names from personal names. The An
| glo-SaXon kin" and cock" and Ing
are represented in jenkins, little
john" Hitchcock. "little Richard"
and Browning. little Brown the
Norman "ot' and "et," in Eliot. little
Elias" and Emmett. little Emma"
sometimes lot and let" Hamlet,
'llttle Hamon'O; the French ION" and
cen" in Marion and Dickens.
Many prefxes were used. The Celtic
MAC" or M Of the Scotch; INC" OF
the Irish: MAP" "Ap," or Up" OF the
Welsh. and the Norman "Fitz" Q.atin
fils), signify "son" or 'son Of" and the
Irish 90" grandson Of"
4 fair knowledge of English nomen-
clature, declares Miss Payne, gives
fair knowledge of English history, SO
closely are the two interviewer.
| Called the BIuff.