The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-09-05
The orioin of Names.

With few exceptions, the character
It in the Bible have but single name
I and so in all ancient history. In som
u cases where a surname is used. its de
s rivation is readily discernible as SciDi
V | Africanus, so called from his conques
S of Africa-but they were not in genera
o use.
l There were no hereditary surname
in England before the time Of the Nor
e man conquest. 1t is tue thar surname
n are given in "Domcsd2y Book" bu
i these were for the most part official an
S professional, and were not TRANSMITTED
! as family names.
AS early as the twelfth century
was thought essential for persons o
I rank to bear surname, and gradual.
= the use extended through all the lowe
classes. Not, however. until the reigl
of Edward Ii. I'm the fourteenth cen
fury, was the use cnfOrccI by an &C
of parliament.
The origin of family Names is widel!
) different, and yet upon examination tn
difference is not SO great as appears OF
, the surface.
Perhaps the most common origin !.
that of son affixed t. i Christian name
the significance of which is al once OBJ
viouS. showing that when the name wa!
first used as a family name the father
was John. Thomas or William, as The
case might be.
We find this I'D me custom among 9th
er nations. The Russian terminal vitcl
the Saxon prefix ing, the Jewish ben
the Welsh ap. the Irish mac. the Polish
ski-all signify son, while Tie Irish c
signifies grandson.
The trades furnish many surnames
Smith taking the lead-although the Old
| English rhyme run2:
But whence comes Smith, all be he
knight or squire,
! ETt from the smith that furgeth at the
fire"
It is not quite true, for the word
originally applied to any one VINO
smote, ana included carpentry, masuns
an dothers.
Names derived from occupations
usually end in er-PO5ter, Painter, Lori
mer Ga maker of bits for brides and
spurs), Salter (the man who looked
after the salD. SpiIler Ga maker of spin
dies or lathes).
The termination ster usually denotes
a woman's occupation. Webster is the
feminine of Weber; Brewster of Brew
err. Dexter was a woman who workeJ.
by the day.
Many English surnames were formed
from words compounded of two or more
AnglO-SaXon words.
The termination ham signifies home
or place: Burnham is the place OF
burn or brook: Buckingham is a place
suitable for beeChes, or a place for
soaking cloth in I've from the ashes of
the beech.
Ton was at first an Enclosure. later it
was a village or town; Leighton is
level town; Hilton hill town Clayton
m NT-rr -. -
north town, as Sutton the south; Mil
ton is the village where the mill is sit
uated; Kempton the camp town, or SOL
diers' village.
Ly indicates field; Stanley, or Ston-
ly. strong field; Ashley field favor
able for ash trees; Oakly for oaks:
Cowly a field for cows.
BY or hi is Danish and implies a hab-
itation; Byford is a home at the ford
Byfield is q home in the meadow
Knapp is the top of a hill, while
Knowles is derived from knoll. Holme
is meadow surrounded with water
the natural tendency 10 pluralize names
gives the familiar Holmes.
In similar way we have Halves
from haugh, a green plot in a valley |
Gore is word used in the old records !
to describe a narrow slip of ground. !
N'iicl ~ - SptiitllilIGS uSttl dIDue DIS u SUI |
name, and is sometimes the terminal in |
a compound word, as Henshaw. Grim |
shaw. 1t signifies a small wood or
copse.
Godfrey is Gods peace. Goodwin and |
Goodwin. friend of God. Halliwell is a |
holy well. as Halliday is a holy day.
and Holyoke holy oak. Doggett is prob
ably the same as the Anglo-Saxon
1ogod, (Which is derived from a noun
signifyfng virtue. The termination
ward means keeper. Hayward is the
keeper of cattle, Durward a doorkeep-
ar, woodward, a protector of the forest,
keeper of the mill
Cross was not derived from mans
disposition 1t indicates one who lived
near a market cross or cross roads.
Stone was originally given to some ore
Who resided near q druidical or other
stone. Peter likewise means
stone, being derived from Greek.
Allied to Peter or Peters, which is
he usual form of the surname, are
Pierce, Pierson and other names whose
meaning at once becomes obvious
Roche is rock, coming from Latin
Trough French. Har means army:
darbert, famous army; Hartman, man
If the army; Harvey, an army from
var.
Woolley comes from the Anglo-SaXon r
and literally means a wolf ON
high or elevated place. Willard is
rom old German. will and hard. will
laving the sense of resolution, and
ard meaning courageous or strong.
Wiley, Williams and Wilmot are of
inbred origin.
The church has furnished a great va
iety of surnames-Pope, Parsons, vi
ar. Bishop. Dean, Deacon, Clark and
'riest With the prefix Mac came !
IacVikey. MACPHERSON. while Priest
aads to Priestly and others.
The names of saints have been popu- :
ar as surnames. ST Clair is some {
ines changed to Sinclair, Augustine is Z
ontracted to Austin, Benedict to Ben
ct. st. Maure becomes Seymour.
The Crusades opened the way for
almer the pilgrim who visited the }
Ioly Land and bore branch of palm J
s a token Thereof. Payne, it is claimed. {
as the name given to some paynim or '
[ussulman who embraced the Christian E
nth during the Crusades
Beavers Teeth.
The beaver is really a sort of porta- !.