Origin of Names.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 21, 22 May 1912, Page 57

Origin of Names.

In case your surname should happen to be Jones, Brown, Smith, or McGillicuddy, or anything else for that matter, you have probably wondered at times how such a name originated. Some names arc easy to trace to a pos-

Bible origin, but others will always remain a puaxle, even to their owners. The iirst-.juitnes. of whieh we have any account are those of Adam and Eve, residence Garden of Eden In the beginning and for some considerable time later it was unnecessary for persons to have more than one name; surnames were unknown. As the population increased, however, it became absolutely necessary for the purptvp-i of identification to h ive names other than the simple personal name. As the population continued to

increase, still further marks of distinction in names became necessary, but it was not until the twelfth or thirteenth century that surnames became hereditary. It is very interesting to learn the source from whence came our surnames. Mr. C. W. Bardsley in his work on “English surnames” says that every surname in all the countries of Europe will be found as coming from one of the following sources: —Baptismal or personal names, locality, dignitaries and officers, occupations, nicknames. As examples of

surnames coming from baptismal or persona! names, the following are some-of the most common:—A man named John, having a son, the son was distinguished from the? father by being called “Jcdin's son,” and from this eame the surname of Johnson;' ffbm "Riehird,.Janies, and William we have Richardson. Jameson, Williams and Williamson. The following are examples of surnames derived from localities in which persons lived:— A man living near a brook was known as “John at the Brook.” and we have from this the surname Brooke and

Brooks. Then "Gilbert at the - Wood® gives us the surname Atwood and Wood, and "William at the Water,” AJwater and Waters. Examples of surnames froni dignitaries and officers—Lord, Cardiual, Bishop, SheJfT, Judge, Justice, Priest’. The following surnames camo from occupations:—Smith, Carpenter, Painter, Beeman, Honeyman, Fisher, Miller, Barber, Wheelwright, Falconer. The following nicknames became surnames:—Cruickshanks, Whitehead, Redman, Shortman? 'Proudfoot, Lightfoot, Prettiman, Whiteman.