Surnames as a Science

EDITH

Edith is the only representative in women's names of A.S. ead, happiness, prosperity, from which we have so many men's names, as Edward, Edwin, Edmund, Edgar. It represents an A.S. Editha, a contraction of Eadgitha, and the question, which is not without a little difficulty, is, What is the origin of githa? Is it a phonetic variation of gifa (A.S. gifu, gift), so common in Anglo-Saxon names of women, as in God-gifa (Godiva), Sungefa (Suneva), &c., or is it a separate word? I am disposed to come to the conclusion, upon the whole, that it is a separate word, and though the traces of it as such are not strong, yet there are some traces. There is a woman's name Githa in the Liber Vitæ, and this seems to be the same as an Old Norse woman's name Gyda in the Landnamabôk. There was also a Gytha, daughter of Swend, king of Denmark. Then there are two Old German names of women with the endings respectively gid and (H.G.) kid. And the origin of all I should take to be found in O.N. gydia, goddess, the exalted conception of womanhood.

EVELYN, EVELINA, EVELINE

There does not seem to be sufficient ground for Miss Yonge's suggestion that Eveline, a name which we have from the Normans, was borrowed by them from the Celts. On the contrary, they seem to have derived it from their Frankish ancestors, among whom we find it in the eleventh century in the form Avelina. This appears to be the original form, for we find it as Avelina in the Liber Vitæ about the twelfth century. And again in the thirteenth century we find that one of the Earls of Albemarle married a lady named Aveline. It is probably a diminutive from the stem av, which Foerstemann refers to Goth. avo, in the probable sense of ancestor. The names Evelyn and Eveline should be kept sharply distinct, the former being a man's name, and the latter a woman's, being the French form of Evelina, as is Louise of Louisa.

From the same stem, av, is formed also the female name Avice, now become very rare. It appears as Auiza and Avicia in the Liber Vitæ, and its original form I take to be found in Avagisa, eighth century, in the Altdeutsches Namenbuch, from gis, hostage. From a similar origin, but from the masculine form Avagis, may probably be Avis, included by Mr. Lower among Latinized surnames.

Another name from the same stem which seems to have been formerly rather common, but which now seems quite obsolete, is Avina.

HAVEYS, HAWOISE

This is another woman's name which has become almost extinct, and, seeing how uncomfortable a name it is to pronounce, I do not wonder that it should be so. It appears in the Liber Vitæ as Hawysa, and in the Pol. Irminon as Hauis, but its proper form is to be traced up to the older name Hathewiza in the Liber Vitæ, from hath, war, and wisa, leader. A surname corresponding, though of course from the masculine form of the name, may probably be the well-known one of Haweis.

Some other Obsolete or Obsolescent Names

The name Helwis occurs in the Liber Vitæ about the thirteenth century, and a more perfect form, Helewiza, about two centuries earlier. It seems rather probable, however, that its proper form would be Hildwisa, from hild, war, and wisa, leader. It occurs as Helois in the Pol. Irm., and is the same as the French Heloise (=Helwise). This name I take to be quite obsolete with us.

A name given by Miss Yonge as still in use is Amice or Amicia. It may probably be the same as the woman's name Amisa, Ameza, or Emeza of the eighth century in the Altd. Nam., which Foerstemann takes to be from A.S. emeta, quies. In that case it would probably be the same name in another form as Emmota, formerly not uncommon as a woman's name.

Another name which I rather suppose to be obsolete is Agace, Agaze, or Igusa, found in the Liber Vitæ up to the fourteenth century, and probably the same as an O.G. Eggiza, eleventh century, from a stem ag, supposed to mean point or edge.

LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL WORKS CONSULTED

FOERSTEMANN. – Altdeutsches Namenbuch. – Vol. I. Personennamen. – Vol. II. Ortsnamen. London, Williams Norgate.

POTT. – Personennamen. Leipzig, 1853.

STARK. – Beitrage zur kunde Germanischer Personennamen. Vienna, 1857. – Die Kosenamen der Germanen. Vienna, 1868.

WEINHOLD. – Die Deutschen Frauen in dem Mittelalter. Vienna, 1851.

GLUCK. – Die bei C. Julius Cæsar vorkommenden Keltischen Namen. Vienna, 1857.

WASSENBERG. – Verhandeling over de Eigennaamen der Friesen. Franeker, 1774.

Islands Landnamabôk. Copenhagen.

Scriptores Rerum Langobardicarum et Italicarum, Sæc. 6-9. Hanover, 1878.

Polyptique de l'Abbé Irminon, ou denombrement des manses, des serfs, et des revenus de l'Abbaye de Saint Germain-des-Prés sous le regne de Charlemagne. Paris, 1844.

Polyptique de l'Abbaye de Saint Remi de Reims, ou denombrement des manses, des serfs, et des revenus de cette abbaye vers le milieu du neuvième siècle. Paris, 1853.

∵The above two Old Frankish records contain a list of the names of all the serfs and dependants of the respective abbeys, with the names also of their wives and children.

KEMBLE. – Codex diplomaticus Ævi Saxonici. London, 1845-48.

THORPE. – Diplomatorium Anglicum Ævi Saxonici. London, 1865.

TAYLOR. – Names and Places. London, 1864.

STEPHENS. – The Old Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England. London.

MISS YONGE. – History of Christian Names. London, 1863.

LOWER. – Patronymica Britannica. London, 1860.

BOWDITCH. – Suffolk Surnames. Boston, U.S.A.

Liber Vitæ Ecclesiæ Dunelmensis. Published by the Surtees Society, London, 1841.

ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS

Page 17

We have also Tray as a man's name, and from the same origin as that which I have supposed for the dog's name, though the one is from the German and the other from the Celtic. The stem in men's names is referred to Goth, tragjan, to run, and may probably include also Trail (=Tragel) and Train (=Tragen), with the respective endings in el and en. Also, from the interchange of d and t, we may include Dray and Drain.

Page 20

Among names of the first century is that of Ingomar, uncle of Arminius, which is represented in America by the dreadful name Inkhammer, though whether of English or of German origin seems uncertain.

Page 29

From Shilling, as a man's name, is derived Shillingsworth, as a name of local origin (A.S. weorth, property), a name like Wordsworth, Dodsworth, &c.

Page 120

Some doubt may be thrown upon the derivation I have suggested for Pentecost by the name Osbern Pentecost, which comes before us in Anglo-Saxon times. The name seems here to be a surname, and if so would be derived most naturally from the festival.

Page 159

From this stem, as found in an A.S. Flogg, may be formed the Anglo-Saxon name Flohere (Thorpe, p. 636), from hari, warrior, whence may be our surnames Floyer, Flower, and Flowry.

Page171

Among other names apparently from women are Ella, Eva, and Louisa, in Suffolk Surnames. Of these, the first is a regular Saxon man's name, and the second is, I doubt not, the same, corresponding with Eafa found in Eafingas, and with Eafha, the name of a Mercian alderman. Louisa I should suppose to be the name Louis with a Romanic, perhaps Spanish, but not female, ending.

THE END

1

From the old Saxon fragment called the "Traveller's Song." Hnaf is no doubt from the Ang. – Sax. cnafa, cnapa, son, boy, the Anglo-Saxons often representing c by a (no doubt aspirated) h.

2

Stark also adduces an instance in the eleventh century of Buggo as a contraction of Burchard.

3

So at least Foerstemann seems to think, observing that we can scarcely derive it from Maur, Æthiops, English "Moor." Nevertheless, seeing the long struggle between the Teutons and the Moors in Spain, it seems to me that such a derivation would be quite in accordance with Teutonic practice. See some remarks on the general subject at the end of Chapter IV.

4

So that we may take it that Virgilius, as the name of a Scot who became bishop of Salzburg in the time of Boniface, was his own genuine Celtic name, and not derived from that of the Roman poet.

5

This name, that of a prince of the Batavi, is considered by the Germans to be properly Hariovalda, from har, army, and hence is another instance of an initial h being represented among the Romans by a c. The name is the same as the Anglo-Saxon Harald, and as our present name Harold.

6

For this explanation of vertragus I am indebted to Gluck.

7

There was an English admiral of this name, though I do not know of it at present.

8

How or when this change took place is a question that awaits solving, but I observe that, in 1265, the Countess of Montford, giving names (or sobriquets) to her servants, calls one of her messengers Treubodi (trusty messenger), and not Treuboda, as the Anglo-Saxon form would have been.

9

This name appears as Μουνδιλας in Procopius, but, judging by the present pronunciation of Greek, it would sound as Mundila.

10

Hence I take to be the name of the fairy king Oberon. Albruna was also the name of a "wise woman" among the ancient Germans referred to by Tacitus.

11

Probably also A.S. Haluiu – Eng. Halloway.

12

Here probably the name Biracrus, on Roman pottery, corresponding with an O.G. form, Berecar.

13

Or perhaps of beauty, like a Celtic stem tac, found in names of men, and perhaps a corresponding word.

14

As an ending also frid commonly becomes free, as in Humphrey from Humfrid, Godfrey from Godfred, Geoffry from Galfrid.

15

This name might perhaps be from the Irish Cwaran, whence probably the present Curran. This name appears also to have been sometimes borrowed by the Northmen, as in the case of Olaf Cwaran.

16

But not in a Christian sense, the stem being much older than Christian times. There is another stem gaud, supposed to mean Goth, very liable to intermix.

17

As a prefix this may mean "army," but as an ending, where it is often hari or heri (and perhaps was originally always so), it may be taken, as suggested by Grimm, to mean warrior.

18

Also as a contracted form, Ang. – Sax. Leommann (=Leofmann, Eng. Lemon).

19

This seems to be a name of an exceptional kind, the ending drud being a female one. That our name Liptrot (which I take from Lower), is really from the above origin is rendered the more probable by the corresponding name Liebetrut as a present German name, similarly derived by Foerstemann. But it may well be that the ending in this case is from a different word to that which, see p. 19, forms the endings of women's names, viz. O.H.G. trut, amicus, which, as a prefix, enters into several men's names.

20

From the mythological kettle of the gods, which enters into many Old Norse men's names.

21

"The Anglo-Saxons seem to have used sallow in the sense of dark. The raven is called sallow both by Cædmon and the author of Judith," Skeat. It seems to me, however, a question whether, seeing how frequently the names of nationalities enter into Teutonic men's names, the word contained in the above stem may not be "Salian." This, however, still leaves open the question as to what is the origin of Salian.

22

A corresponding name may be the Dutch Tadema, if ma, as is supposed, stands for man.

23

Probably from the mythological kettle of the Æsir.

24

So many different words might be suggested in this case that the meaning must be left uncertain. It is most probable that there may be an admixture.

25

Three different words found in ancient names intermix so as to be hardly separable, viz., Anglo-Saxon wiht, strength or courage; wid, wood; and wit, wisdom.

26

The name of Wigmore Street seems to imply a man's name Wigmore, but I do not know of it at present.

27

Hence probably the name of the Eows, a tribe or family mentioned in the "Traveller's Song." Also probably the name Eawa, in the genealogy of the Mercian kings. The stem is represented in our names by Ewe, Yeo, and Yea, and we have also the patronymic Ewing (Euing in Domesday).

28

From a similar origin is the name of the Scandinavian Vikings, Vik-ing, from vik, a bay.

29

Archæological Journal.

30

There is another name Snodgrass, which may be a similar corruption of Snodgast, from the stem snod, A.S. snot, wise.

31

This however is by no means certain, inasmuch as there is a stem card or gard from which it might be formed, though the corresponding ancient name has not turned up. On the other hand it is to be observed that wealh is not one of the more common endings.

32

Pagan occurs as an A.S. name, (Thorpe, p. 648), and may probably be referred to bagan, to contend. Cf. also Pagingas among the early settlers.

33

According, no doubt, as the ancient name appeared as Thorgaut or Thorgaud.

34

This name may be, not improbably, one of those that were brought over after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes.

35

We also find the other form, Hlud, in Hludes beorh, Hlud's barrow, or grave.

36

Some further remarks on this Frankish prefix will be found in the succeeding chapter on Italian names.

37

When there are two Old German names, the former is that which is found in a form most nearly corresponding with the Italian, the latter is that which may be taken to be the most correct form.

38

Names of a similar kind are the O.G. Gervid, our Garwood, signifying "spear-wood." Also the O.G. Asquid, whence the Ascuit in Domesday, and our present names Asqwith and Ashwith, signifying "ash-wood," of which spears used to be made.

39

Diez takes it to be a contraction of Adalgar.

40

As in the French names Gerbet and Herbette, representing the Old Frankish names Gerbad and Herbad.

41

Kemble explains Cnebba as "he that hath a beak," which would seem to make it a sobriquet. But it certainly seems more reasonable to bring it into an established stem.

42

This name might also be deduced from another stem.

43

Unless, as seems possible, Goodacre may represent the Old German name Gundachar.

44

Cf. also Eng. "e'er" for "ever."

45

There seems probably an Anglo-Saxon name Crecga in Crecganford, now Crayford.

46

Nomen honestissimæ familiæ Hamburgensis (Richey). He evidently takes it as a sobriquet "beet (i. e. make up) the fire."

47

The principal part of this chapter appeared in the Antiquary for March, 1882.

48

Possibly, at least in some cases, the origin of the surname Constable.

49

The earliest mention of this name that I have seen, occurs a. d. 1431, in the Liber Vitæ, when one John Duckett, having died at the remarkable age of 127, his children, one of whom was called Cristabel, presented offerings at the shrine of St. Cuthbert. These would seem to be of the nature of propitiatory offerings on behalf of the dead, of which there are various instances recorded. One of these is that of one Maria del Hay, who in a large-hearted spirit, seems to have included in her offering, not only all who had gone before, but all who were to come after her. The entry is, "Maria del Hay, cum omnibus suis progenitoribus et successoribus."