Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-03-17
WHENCE NAMES COME
THE SURPRISING CHANGES THAT
TIME HAS WROUGHT.

AuuASateu At
the Sign of the White Korses"
Considering the surprising changes
that many names have undergone, says
Miss Laura Alton Payne in the hide
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 tie
uninitiated that Originally it was 'Pe-
ter at the Seven O.lks?" Though
Thomas WLitehorse" suggests the
American Indian custom in names,
originally it was Thomas at the White
Horse" or Thomas at the Sign of the
White Horse" "a tave-I>. Sidney is a
corruption of st. Denys, Gi2c.@ir Q: st.
Clair, Seymour Of st. Maur, Jane,'ay
of Genoa, Curtis of courteous" Armi-
tage of Hermitage" Spark of Sparrow
hawk. Emerson and america hat the
same oriSin-Almeric, all old Norman
name, Amerigo being the Italialized
form.
Nalues, like things, ere not always
what they seem. Beers and Berry are
not "beers" and BERRY" but co-rup-
ton of borough" often written
"bufy'' and "bery."
In the beginning a single personal
name suf1ced For awhile no two per-
sons bore the same name, but as a
stock of names accumulated repeti-
tons became common, and as the pop
ulation of the world increased distinc-
tive names became necessary; hence
we read of John the Baptist and John
the Disciple, Darius Hystaspis and Al
exander the Great, Joshua, son of Nun,
and Simon Barjonas-"S Simon, son Of
Jonas"
Surnames were first used in 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 1866, but it re-
quired two or three centuries to esgab-
lish the body Of our nomenclature on
a 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 $4,000 existing sur
names.
Surnames have been drawn frem ev-
cry available source-personal names,
location, occupation, deeds Of prowess,
mental, moral and physical attributes,
terms Of relationship, the human body,
farm and household articles, buildings,
foods and drinks, modes Of travel, ma
lions and laws, customs and religions,
geographical terms, weather and sea-
sons, months and days, measures and
values, the joys and ills of lite, the
animal, mineral and vegetable king
dom and even from the kingdom Of
heaven. The use of nicknamesi and
compound terms gave an aim ost in
exhaustible source. Even oaths be-
came embodied, as in Pardoe, from par
Dieu.
In most countries it is customary
for the wife to take her husbands
name, but in some European countries
| it is not unusual for the husband to
append the wife's name, particularly
| when 1t is more honorable than his
own Hyphenated names and the
| wife's retention of her maiden name
for 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 (''ern"-eagle),
ALFRED (now known as Albert and ALI
bright, Almeric, Ingelram, Ebrardus
(Everard), Warm (Guerin, now War
REM, Two, Hamon (Hammond), and
Fayn 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 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 ia
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 ut" and "et," in Eliot, little
Elias" and Emmett, "little Emma
sometimes "lot" and "let;:" Hamlet
E.iittle Hamon'); the French ION" and
"en' In Marion and Dickens.
Many preflxes were used. The Celtic
'Mac" or IN" Of the Scotch; INC" Of
the Irish; MAP" Gap" or ops OF thu
Welsh, and the Norman "Fitz" LatiI
fls), signify "son" or "son Of" and fht
Irish co." grandson Of"
A fair knowledge of English nomen
clature, declares Miss Payne. gives 1