The Romance of Names Ernest Weekley Advertising material that appeared at the start of the book BY THE SAME AUTHOR THE ROMANCE OF WORDS “A book of extraordinary interest; those who do not yet realise how enthralling a subject word-history is could not do better than sample its flavour in Mr. Weekleys admirable book.” Spectator. Third Edition. 6s. net. SURNAMES “A study of the origin and significance of surnames, full of fascination for the general reader.” Truth. Second Edition. 6s. net. AN ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY OF MODERN ENGLISH “It is a very great pleasure to get a dictionary from Mr. Weekley. One knows from experience that Mr. Weekley would contrive to avoid unnecessary dullness, even if he were compiling a railway guide, but that he would also get the trains right.” Mr. J. C. SQUIRE in The Observer. Crown 4to. 2 2s. net. THIRD EDITION, REVISED THE ROMANCE OF NAMES BY ERNEST WEEKLEY, M.A. Professor of French and Head of the Modern Language Department at University College, Nottingham; Sometime Scholar of Trinity College, Cambridge 1922 CONTENTS THE ROMANCE OF NAMES PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION CHAPTER I. OF SURNAMES IN GENERAL PERSONAL NAMES NICKNAMES MYTHICAL ETYMOLOGIES ALTERNATIVE ORIGINS NAMES DESIRABLE OR UNDESIRABLE CHAPTER II. A MEDIEVAL ROLL LONDON JURYMEN MIDDLESEX JURYMEN STEEPLE CLAYDON COTTAGERS CHAPTER III. SPELLING AND SOUND VARIANT SPELLINGS DIALECTIC VARIANTS APHESIS EPITHESIS AND ASSIMILATION METATHESIS BABY PHONETICS CHAPTER IV. BROWN, JONES, AND ROBINSON OCCUPATIVE NAMES THE DISTRIBUTION OF NAMES CHAPTER V. THE ABSORPTION OF FOREIGN NAMES THE HUGUENOTS PERVERSIONS OF FOREIGN NAMES JEWISH NAMES CHAPTER VI. TOM, DICK AND HARRY MEDIEVAL FONT-NAMES THE COMMONEST FONT-NAMES FASHIONS IN FONT-NAMES DERIVATIVES OF FONT-NAMES THE SUFFIX -COCK CELTIC NAMES CHAPTER VII. GODERIC AND GODIVA FORMATION OF ANGLO-SAXON NAMES ANGLO-SAXON NICKNAMES ANGLO-SAXON SURVIVALS MONOSYLLABIC NAMES “HIDEOUS NAMES” CHAPTER VIII. PALADINS AND HEROES THE ROUND TABLE THE CHANSONS DE GESTE ANTIQUE NAMES CHAPTER IX. THE BIBLE AND THE CALENDAR OLD TESTAMENT NAMES NEW TESTAMENT NAMES FEAST-DAYS MONTH NAMES CHAPTER X. METRONYMICS FEMALE FONT-NAMES DOUBTFUL CASES CHAPTER XI. LOCAL SURNAMES CLASSES OF LOCAL NAMES COUNTIES AND TOWNS NAMES PRECEDED BY DE CHAPTER XII. SPOT NAMES ELEMENTS OF PLACE-NAMES HILL AND DALE HILLS WOODLAND AND PLAIN FOREST CLEARINGS MARSHES WATER AND WATERSIDE RIVERS ISLANDS TREE NAMES CHAPTER XIII. THE HAUNTS OF MAN SETTLEMENTS AND ENCLOSURES HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS WATER BUILDINGS DWELLINGS SHOP SIGNS CHAPTER XIV. NORMAN BLOOD CORRUPT FORMS TREE NAMES CHAPTER XV. OF OCCUPATIVE NAMES SOCIAL GRADES ECCLESIASTICAL NAMES NAMES IN -STER MISSING TRADESMEN SPELLING OF TRADE-NAMES PHONETIC CHANGES NAMES FROM WARES CHAPTER XVI. A SPECIMEN PROBLEM: RUTTER CHAPTER XVII. THE CANTERBURY PILGRIMS ECCLESIASTICAL NAMES PILGRIMS CHAPTER XVIII. TRADES AND CRAFTS ARCHERY CLOTHIERS METAL WORKERS SURNOMINAL SNOBBISHNESS CHAPTER XIX. HODGE AND HIS FRIENDS BUMBLEDOM ITINERANT MERCHANTS CHAPTER XX. OFFICIAL AND DOMESTIC THE HOUSEHOLD CHAPTER XXI. OF NICKNAMES IN GENERAL FOREIGN NICKNAMES KINSHIP ABSTRACTS COSTUME PHYSICAL FEATURES IMPRECATIONS PHRASE-NAMES MISCELLANEOUS CHAPTER XXII. ADJECTIVAL NICKNAMES ARCHAIC MEANINGS DISGUISED SPELLINGS FRENCH ADJECTIVES COLOUR NAMES CHAPTER XXIII. BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES BIRDS HAWK NAMES BEASTS FISHES SPECIAL FEATURES Advertising material from the end of the book PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION In preparing this revised edition I have been able to make use of much information conveyed to me by readers interested in the subject. The general arrangement of the book remains unchanged, but a certain number of statements have been modified, corrected, or suppressed. The study of our surnames has been mostly left to the amateur philologist, and many origins given by my predecessors as ascertained facts turn out, on investigation, to be unsupported by a shred of evidence. I cannot hope that this little book in its new form is free from error, but I feel that it has benefited by the years I have spent in research since its original publication. I would ask reader to accept it, not as a comprehensive treatise containing full information on any name that happens to occur in it, but as a general survey of the subject, and an attempt to indicate and exemplify the various ways in which our surnames have come into existence. ERNEST WEEKLEY. UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, NOTTINGHAM. April 1922. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION The early demand for a new edition of this little book is a gratifying proof of a widespread interest in its subject, rather than a testimony to the value of my small contribution to that subject. Of the imperfections of this contribution no one can be more conscious than myself, but I trust that the most palpable blemishes have been removed in this revised edition. The student of etymology seldom passes