The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-07-12

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IN the early ages OF the world 1t was
the general custom to use single
significant name for each person. This
name was in the first instance In
vented to TT the original bearer. Jt
may have been derived from some cir
5cumstance or incident attendant upon
his birth. from some physical pecu-
liarity, personal quality. etc, or may
have been merely anticipatory ex-
preston OF his parents fond hopes Tor
his future or duo to any one OF numer-
Gus other causes.
Nominal invention, however. did NOT
long keep pace with the increase OF
population. It was easier to borrow
than to invent. Names We're dupli-
Gated again and again, and sooner or
later many Of them became so COM
mon that they failed entirely to par
ticularize the Individual.
So the need became imperative for
surnames. or additional appellations, as
further descriptive and particularizing
epithets. AS these now became the
more significant part OF the name.
there was loss, more or less complete.
OF significance in the old personal
name.
This surname period came to diff
ferent peoples at different times.
Among the Hebrews. for instance,
there Is little trace OF IT until this
people were massed together in their
5ourneying in tho Wilderness. Then
Joshua. the son OF Nun. and Caleb.
the son OF Jephunneh. became two Of
the earliest and best known In
stances.
Among the Greekn the s,,rn,n mo
period mad already begun In the
Homeric age.
SO the two Ajaxes were distin-
suished as Telamoniades. or Tela-
Z lnonios, the son of lebanon. and
+ oil1ades. the son OF Oileus.'. and other
heroes are quite as we'll known BY
their surnames as by their personal
names-e. g.. Tydeides for Diomedes
Inc Armenian system of personal nc
menclature is familiar. It is personal
name. fathers name and name OF the
dome or township-e. &. Aristophanes
son Of Philippos. OF Kydathenaion.
Among the Romans there was such q
remarkable paucity OF personal names
that the addition OF name derived
from that OF the gems. or clan. and of
one or more cognomina was early
made. This system was SO developed
later that one man who attained high
political and sacerdotaE hcnors ac-
tually born the name Quintus Pom.
peius Senecio Rosclus NIurena Coelius
Sextus-Julius Trontinus Silius Decia,
nus Gaius Julius Euryclis Herculaners
Lucius Vibullius Plus Augustanus Al
pinus Bellicus Sellers Julius Aper Du-
Genius Proculus Rutilianus Rufinus
Silius Nalens Valerius Niger Claudh,s
Fuscus saxa Anlyntianus Sosius Pris
Gus, as an inscription found at Thu.
records II.
This is. perhaps, the longest name
recorded in any European Lam
guage.
Among our own ancestors surnames
were coming into vogue about the
time Of the Norman Conquest Of Eng
land. There Were occasional instance:
earlier among both the Saxons and the
Celts. but not until this time did the
practice become common Of adding II
all,public documents some distinctive
appellation to the personal name TO
the sake of Identifying the Individual
One Of tho earliest and most fire.
quent devices was the addition OF "a
patronymic, or rame derived from this
personal name OF the father or Other
ancestor. Thus in time arose thai
category of hereditary surnames9 prop
erly called patronymlcs. OF these We
shall now present examples drawn
from historic surnames OF the South
land. - q
acknowledgements in English are
frequently formed by the addition Of
q s;lffixal SON" to either a persona
same or to- hyFocoristic or pet
/, form, OF the personal name, or by the
i8nddition Of ~ renitlva( suefiN IS, I" Th;
!; former is the more Teutonic custom
. as shown by the analogy of the Ger
man "sohn"9and Scandinavian Sen
similarly suffixed. The lattersis espe.
cially frequent among the English
speaking Welsh and lit the shires thai
border on the principality. ss3
Davis is such n patronymic, land indl.
Gates 'the son OF Davy. Davy IS q
frequent hypocortstio form OF Il DAVID