Surnames as a Science

Ending in el

A.S. Cridel, found in Cridlingas – Eng. Criddle.

Perhaps the most characteristic peculiarity of the Frankish dialect is the prefix of g, or its sharper form c, before names beginning with w.36 Hence it is that the French have such a word as guerre (=gwerre) which is g prefixed to a German wer or war. And such names as Guillaume, Gualtier, and Guiscard, which are from g prefixed to Wilhelm, Walter, and Wiscard (our Wishart). Hence, also, such a place-name as Quillebœuf in Normandy, being, with a c prefixed, the same, I take it, as an English Willaby (bœuf, as Mr. Taylor has shown, representing the Danish by). I have referred, p. 75, to the name Cwichelm for Wighelm or Wichelm as a strongly-marked Frankish form, but I cannot say that I find such forms generally prevalent in Anglo-Saxon times. Kemble has three tribe-names in this form, Cwædringas, Cwæringas, and Queningas. The Cwædringas answer to the Wætringas, and the Wedringas, both also on Kemble's list, and both, I take it, different forms of the same name; the Cwæringas to the Wæringas and the Werringas, also different forms of the same name; the Queningas to the Weningas or the Winingas. One or two of our names beginning with gw, as Gwilliams, Gwatkin, and perhaps Gwalter, are probably due to the Welsh, of which this prefix is also a characteristic. As representing the Frankish form, we have more names in the sharper form cw, which is represented by q. Under the present head comes the name of the highest lady in the land, Guelph (further referred to in next chapter), being a Frankish form of Welf (O.H.G. hwelf; Eng. whelp). The names Welp, Whelps, and Guelpa, appear in Suff. Surn., but whether English or not does not appear.

QUARE, QUARY, QUARRY, QUEAR, QUERY, QUARRIER, QUARMAN. QUIDDY, QUITMAN, QUITTACUS. QUIG, QUICK, QUY, QUIGGLE, GWYER, QUIER, QUIRE. GUILLE, GUILY, QUILL, QUILKE, GWILLAM, QUILLMAN, QUILLINAN. GUINEY, QUIN, QUEEN, QUEENEY, GUINAN, QUINAN, QUEENAN, QUINER. QUAIL, QUALEY, QUINT. QUAINT, QUANTOCK. GWILT, QUILT, QUILTY, QUILTER, QUAKER, QUASH

The meaning of the stem war is very uncertain; Foerstemann proposes five different words, without including O.H.G. werra, Eng. war, and it seems very probable that there may be a mixture of different words.

Gwar, cwar, for war

A.S. Cwara, found in Cwæringas – Frnk. Guario – Eng. Quare, Quary, Quarry, Quear, Query – French Querrey.

Compounds

(Hari, warrior), O.G. Warher – Eng. Quarrier. (Man, vir), O.G. Warman – Eng. Quarman – French Guermain.

The stem wid, on which is formed guid and cwid, may perhaps be referred to O.H.G. wid, wood, in the sense of weapon (see next chapter in voce Guido), though in this case also there may probably be a mixture of words.

Gwid, cwid, for wid

Frnk. Guid, Guido, Quido – Eng. Quiddy – French, Guidé.

Compounds

(Man, vir), O.G. Witman – Eng. Quitman. (Gis, hostage), O.G. Witichis – Eng. Quittacus (Suff. Surn.).

The stem wig or wic, on which are formed gwig and cwic, may be taken to be from wig, war.

Gwig, cwic, for wig, wic

Frnk. Gwigo – Eng. Quig, Quick, Quy – Fr. Guiche, Quyo.

Ending in el

O.G. Wigilo – Eng. Quiggle.

Compound

O.G. Wigger, Wiher – Eng. Gwyer, Quier, Quire.

The stem will, on which are formed guill and cwill, may be referred to Goth. wilya, will, perhaps, in the sense of resolution.

Guil, cwil, for will

Frnk. Guila – Eng. Guille, Guily, Quill – Fr. Guille, Quille.

Diminutive

O.G. Willic – Eng. Quilke – Fr. Quillac.

Compounds

(Helm, helmet), Frnk. Guilhelm – Eng. Gwillam – Fr. Guillaume. (Man, vir), O.G. Wilman – Eng. Quillman – Fr. Guillemain. (Nand, daring), O.G. Willinand – Eng. Quillinan.

I am inclined, from the way in which the names run into each other, to take cwen and cwin to be one and the same stem, and to refer them to A.S. wine, friend.

Gwin, cwin, cwen, for win

A.S. Cwena, found in Cweningas; Quena, found in Quenanden – Frnk. Guuine, Quino – Eng. Guiney, Quin, Queen, Queeney – Fr. Gueneau, Quenay, Quineau.

Ending in en, p. 27

A.S. Cwenen, found in Cwenenabrôc – Eng. Guinan, Quinan, Queenan – Fr. Guenin.

Compounds

(Hari, warrior), O.G. Winiheri – Eng. Quiner – Fr. Guinier, Guinery, Quinier. (Bert, famous), Frnk. Quinabert – Eng. Guinibert.

From the Ang. – Sax. wealh, stranger, foreigner, may be the following stem:

Gual, cwal, for wal

Frnk. Gualo, Guala – Eng. Quail, Qualey – Fr. Guala.

Then there are some other stems not sufficiently represented to make it worth while to put them into a tabular form, as Quint, a Frankish form of Wind (the stem being supposed to mean Wend), with the present French, Quinty. Also Quaint and Quantock, representing Old German names, Wando and Wendico, the stem being perhaps as in the previous case. And Gwilt, Quilt, Quilty, and Quilter, which seem to be formed similarly on Wild (ferus) and Wilder. Also Quart for Ward or Wart, and perhaps Quaker for Waker and Quash for Wass (as in Washington from Wassingation).

With regard to this last Frankish peculiarity, which I conceive not to be of such ancient date as the preceding ones, I am inclined to suppose that the greater part of the English names in which it appears have come to us through the Normans. And with regard to the others I would venture the general remark that inasmuch as the Anglo-Saxons in all probability more or less aspirated an initial h, it would perhaps be going too far to conclude that, in all cases where it has been hardened into a c, Frankish influence is necessarily to be presumed. Still, I think that the general result of the comparison which I have instituted, more especially considering the comparatively limited area from which the Anglo-Saxon examples have been drawn, is such as to give considerable support to the theory that Franks were among the early settlers.

Besides the names of Old Frankish, i. e. German origin, which have come to us through the Normans, we have also received from them some names, mostly of a religious character, from the Latin, and from the Hebrew. I have even ventured to suggest, in the next chapter, that it is to the Franks that the Italians are indebted for the name of Dante (Durante) from Lat. durans. More certainly it is from them that the corresponding name Durand has come to us. The early Frankish Christians adopted several such names, some from the Latin, as Stabilis, Clarus, Celsus, Electus (perhaps in some cases from the names of Roman saints), some from the Hebrew, not only scriptural names of men and women, but also such words as Pasc (passover), Seraphim, Osanna, &c., and these they often mixed up with the Old German words to which they had been accustomed, the names of the Apostles Peter and Paul being so dealt with, and even the name of Christ himself. This probably arose from the desire of parents to connect the names of their children with their own, as seems clearly shown in the case of a woman called Electa, who gives to her two children the same name with a German addition, calling one Electard, and the other Electrudis. From one of these hybrid Frankish names, Clarembald, come our Claringbold and Claringbull and the French Clérambault. From the above word, pasc, we have Pascoe, Paske, and Pash, and the French have Pasquin, corresponding with a Frankish Pascoin (Pascwin). There is one Richard Osannas, a witness to an acquittance in the later Anglo-Saxon times, the name being probably from the Frankish Osanna, which seems, however, to have been originally a woman's name. In the same charter occurs also Jordan, another of these old Frankish names, taken presumably from the river – whence I take to be our Jordan, and the French Jordan, Jourdan, and Jourdain, probably also the name of the Dutch painter Jordaens. The name Crist, which seems most probably from this origin (Cristeus in the Pol. Irm.) is not very uncommon in France; it occurs also in Germany, and though I have not met with it in England, yet Bowditch gives it as the name of a member of the New York legislature, where it may, however, possibly be German. It is rather amusing to see how the learned Germans are occasionally a little mystified by these Old Frankish Scriptural names. Stark, for instance, sets down Elisaba (Elischeba, the Hebrew form, I take it, of Elisabeth) as Celtic, and Foerstemann, excusably perhaps, is posed with Erispa (Rispah, the daughter of Aiah?), though I think he might have guessed Osanna.

Before concluding this chapter I may refer to the Roll of Battle Abbey, containing the names of the principal Normans who came over with the Conqueror. This has been severely impugned by some excellent antiquaries on the ground that some of the names are, on the face of them, regular English names, and such as could not reasonably be supposed to have been borne by Normans. And hence it has been supposed that interpolations must have been made to gratify the vanity of certain families who wished their names to appear in the Roll. This in itself does not seem an improbable suspicion, and I do not desire to go into the question further than to express the opinion that so far as the names themselves are concerned, there is not one that might not be a genuine Norman name. Indeed, the undisguised English form of some of them is to me rather a proof of the honesty of the scribe, for it would have been so easy to have given them a thin Norman disguise. The suspicious-seeming names are of two kinds, names which appear to be from English place-names, as Argentoune, Chaworth, Newborough, Sanford, Valingford, Harewell; and names which seem to be from English surnames of occupation, or description, as Hayward, Archere, Loveday. The former did present a genuine difficulty, and did justify suspicion till now that Mr. Taylor's discovery of an area in the north of France full of regular Anglo-Saxon place-names, and no doubt settled by Anglo-Saxons, has disclosed the source from which they could be derived. I opine then that the English scribe has done nothing more in the case of such names than restore them to the original form from which they had been more or less corrupted. Nor indeed has he done it to as great an extent as he might have done, for I find several others which may be brought back to an Anglo-Saxon form, and it may be of some little interest to take a few of these Norman surnames derived from place-names of the kind discovered by Mr. Taylor, and compare them with corresponding Anglo-Saxon place-names in England. I will take the names ending in uil, "well," of which the scribe has Anglicised one (Harewell), and show how many more there might have been. We have Bereneuile and Boranuile, corresponding with A.S. Bernewell (now Barnwell, in Northamptonshire), from A.S. brune, brook, of which the well might be the source. Then we have Rinuuill, corresponding with an A.S. Runawel (now, Runwell in Essex), i. e. a running or flowing well, Berteuilay corresponding with A.S. Beorhtanwyl (now Brightwell, in Oxfordshire), and Vauuruile with an A.S. Werewell (now Wherwell, in Hants), an inclosed well; from A.S. w[^œ]r, inclosure. Then we have Beteruile comparing with an A.S. Buterwyel (Butterwell, butter and honey being used apparently to describe sweet waters), Greneuile (Greenwell), and Glateuile, probably from A.S. glade, brook, and so same as Bernewell.

With respect to the second class of suspected names, such as Hayward, Archere, and Loveday, these are all Old Frankish names, and the resemblance to anything English is only an accident. Hayward represents an ancient Agward or Egward, and would be more properly Ayward, though we find it as Hayward (see p. 99) even in Anglo-Saxon times. So also Archere (see p. 42) and Loveday (p. 57) fall into their places as ancient Frankish names. Such names again as Brown and Gray, though a little Anglicised in spelling, are names common to the whole Teutonic system, and, as far as we are concerned, both came in with the Saxons, being found in Kemble's list of original settlers.

I do not think it necessary to go more at length into the ancient Frankish names contained in that Roll, but before leaving the subject I would call attention to some of the names derived from the Danish place-names of Normandy. There are four names, Dabitott, Leuetot, Lovetot, and Tibtote (our name Tiptoft), from the ending tot, which, as Mr. Taylor has shown, represents the Scandinavian toft. And two names, Duilby and Linnebey, representing the Danish by; house, habitation, village, so common in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire; also two more, Braibuf and Olibef, with the ending buf or bœuf, which, as Mr. Taylor has shown, also represents the Danish by, Olibef being, perhaps, Olafby, from the Danish name Olaf. Seeing this to be the case, I venture to hint a suspicion as to the redoubtable name Front-de-bœuf, and to suggest that it may after all be properly nothing more than one of these Norman place-names ending in bœuf. Such a name as, for instance, Frodebœuf, from a Danish man's name, Frodi, might give it. On the other hand, the plebeian-looking name Chassebœuf, which Volney is said to have changed rather than have it supposed that any one of his ancestors had been a cow-boy, is, I doubt not, from a similar origin. Such a name as Shaftsby (from the Anglo-Saxon man's name Shaft) would, when by became corrupted into bœuf, naturally be made into Chassebœuf. I take, however, the name Lebœuf to be from a different origin, viz. from a Frankish Libolf or Liubolf. There is yet one more name, Lascales (our Lascelles), which I think may be also from a Danish place-name, the word scale (O.N. skali, a wooden hut) being common, particularly in the Lake District – in Cumberland and Westmoreland.

I purpose to conclude this chapter with a few stems illustrative of the common Teutonic element in French, English, and German names, including such Italian names as I have been able to fall in with. The first stem, from A.S. til, bonus, præstans, seems to have been more common among the Saxons than among the Franks, and there are, consequently, more names corresponding in English than in French.

Dill, till, bonus

A.S. Dilla, Tilla, in Dillingas and Tillingas – O.G. Dilli, Tilli, Thilo; Tilli, Lib. Vit.; Dill, Tilly, Tillé, Hund. Rolls– Eng. Dill, Dilley, Dillow, Till, Tilley– Germ. Dill, Till, Tilo– Fr. Dilly, Dillé, Tilly, Tillé– Ital. Tilli.

Ending in ec, probably diminutive

A.S. Tilluc – Eng. Dillick, Dilke, Tillick, Tilke– Fr. Dilhac.

Patronymic

Eng. Tilling– Germ. Dilling.

Ending in en, p. 27

Tilne, Lib. Vit.– Eng. Dillon– Germ. Dillen– Fr. Dillon, Tillon.

Compounds

(Fred, peace), Tilfred, Lib. Vit.– Eng. Tilford. (Gar, spear), A.S. Tilgar – Dilker, Hund. Rolls– Eng. Dilger, Dillicar. (Had, var), Tilhaed, Lib. Vit.– Eng. Tillott– Fr. Dillet, Tillot. (Man, vir), A.S. Tillman – Tilmon, Lib. Vit.– Tileman, Hund. Rolls– Eng. Dillman, Tillman, Tileman– Germ. Dillemann, Tilmann– Dutch. Tillemans– Fr. Tilman. (Mar, famous), O.G. Tilemir – Eng. Dillimore. (Mund, protection), A.S. Tilmund – Fr. Tilmant. (Wine, friend), Tiluini, Lib. Vit.– Eng. Dillwyn. (Her, heri, warrior), A.S. Tilhere (Bishop of Worcester) – Eng. Diller, Tiller, Tillier– Fr. Dillery, Tillier.

The following stem may be taken to be from A.S. hyge; O.H.G. hugu, mind, thought; A.S. hogian, to study, meditate. The form hig, which seems to be more particularly Saxon, intermixes considerably in the English names.

Hig, hog, hug, thought, study

A.S. Hig, Hicca, Hocg – O.G. Hugo, Hug, Huc, Hughi, Hogo – Eng. Hugo, Hug, Hugh, Huie, Huck, Hogg, Hodge, Hoe, Hick, Hickie– Germ. Huge, Hugo, Hucke, Hoge– Fr. Hugo, Hugé, Hug, Huc, Hue, Hua– Ital. Ugo.

Ending in el, probably diminutive

A.S. Hicel – O.G. Hugila, Huckili – Eng. Hugall, Huckell, Whewell, Hickley– Germ. Hügel– Fr. Hugla, Huel– Ital. Ughelli.

Ending in lin, probably diminutive

A.S. Hugelin (Chamberlain to Edward the Confessor) – Hugelinus, Domesday– Hueline, Lib. Vit.– Eng. Huelin, Hicklin– Fr. Huguelin, Higlin– Ital. Ugolino.

Ending in et, probably diminutive

A.S. Hocget – O.G. Huetus, thirteenth century – Hueta, Domesday– Eng. Huggett, Howitt, Hewitt– Fr. Hugot, Huet– Ital. Ughetti.

Ending in es, probably diminutive

O.G. Hugizo – Eng. Hughes, Hewish, Hodges– Fr. Hugues.

Kin, diminutive

Hogcin, Lib. Vit.– Eng. Hodgkin.

Ending in en, p. 27

A.S. Hyeken – Hygine, Lib. Vit.– Eng. Hoggin, Hucken, Higgen– Fr. Hugan, Hogan, Huan, Hoin, Hienne.

Compounds

(Bald, fortis), A.S. Higbald (Bishop of Lindisfarne), Hibald – O.G. Hugibald, Hubald – Eng. Hibble, Hubble– Fr. Hubault– Ital. Ubaldo, Ubald(ini). (Bert, famous), A.S. Higbert (Bishop of Worcester) – O.G. Hugubert, Hubert – Eng. Hibbert, Hubbard– Germ. Hubert– Fr. Hubert. (Hard, fortis), O.G. Hugihart, Hugard – Eng. Huggard, Heward– Fr. Hugard, Huard, Huart. (Laic, play), A.S. Hygelac – O.G. Hugilaih – O.N. Hugleikr – Eng. Hillock, Hullock– Fr. Hulek. (Lat, terrible,?), Hugolot, Lib. Vit.– Eng. Hewlet, Higlet. (Lind, mild), O.G. Hugilind – Eng. Hewland. (Man, vir), A.S. Hiccemann – Eng. Hugman, Hughman, Human, Higman, Hickman– Germ. Hieckmann– Fr. Humann. (Mot, courage), O.G. Hugimot – Eng. Hickmot. (Mar, famous), A.S. Hykemer – O.G. Hugimar – Eng. Hogmire, Homer, Highmore. (Wald, power), O.G. Hugold – Fr. Huault. Perhaps also, from noth, bold, though I do not find an ancient name to correspond – Eng. Hignett, and Fr. Hugnot, Hognet.

I will take for the last example the stem magin, main; A.S. mægin, strength, force; Eng. main, which is rather better represented in French names than in English. There are names, Maianus and Meinus on Roman pottery, which might, however, be either German or Celtic.

O.G. Magan, Main – Main, Lib. Vit.– Eng. Magnay, Mayne– Germ. Mehne– Fr. Magné, Magney– Ital. Magini.

Compounds

(Bald, fortis), O.G. Meginbold – Fr. Magnabal. (Burg, protection), O.G. Meginburg – Fr. Mainbourg. (Frid, peace), O.G. Maginfrid – Fr. Mainfroy. (Gald, value), O.G. Megingald – Fr. Maingault. (Ger, spear), O.G. Meginger – Eng. Manger. (Gaud, Goth), O.G. Megingaud Fr. Maingot. (Had, war), O.G. Magenad – Fr. Maginot– (Hard, fortis), O.G. Maginhard, Mainard – Eng. Maynard– Germ. Meinert– Fr. Magnard, Maynard– Ital. Mainardi– (Hari, warrior), O.G. Maganhar, Mayner – Germ. Meiner– Fr. Magnier, Maynier– Ital. Maineri.

Perhaps also to this stem (with nant, daring) we may put Magnentius, the name of a German who usurped the imperial purple and was slain A.D. 353, also the Fr. Magnan and Maignan.

These three stems, in one of which the Anglo-Saxon predominates, and in another the Frankish or High German, while in a third there are two parallel forms, Anglo-Saxon and Frankish, running side by side, may be taken as fairly representative of the system upon which Teutonic names are formed.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE GERMAN ORIGIN OF GREAT ITALIANS AS EVIDENCED IN THEIR NAMES

The successive waves of German invasion that swept over Italy, leaving their record in the name of one of its fairest provinces, while they added a few German words to the language, left a much larger number of German patronymics in the names of its families. The Christian names borne by well-known Italians, such as Alberto, Arnolfo, Bernardo, Carlo, Enrico, Federigo (Frederic), Francesco, Leonardo, Luigi, Ludovico, Mainardo, Odoardo (Edward), Ridolphi, Sinibaldo, Ugo (Hugo or Hugh), Onofrio (Humphrey), all of German origin, sufficiently attest this to have been the case. And I think we shall be warranted in assuming, as in the case of France, that if this be the case with Christian names, it cannot be essentially different with regard to surnames.

But inasmuch as I have not had the same opportunity of collating and examining the mass of Italian surnames that I have had in the case of those of France, I propose to shape the comparison into a rather different form, and, without departing from its etymological purpose, to endeavour to give it something of an ethnical interest as well. This admixture of German blood could not fail to have an influence – and, we can hardly doubt, an invigorating influence – upon the character of the softer and more receptive Italian race. It may not then be without interest – though we need not attach more importance to the result than it deserves – to endeavour to trace the result of that admixture in the names of illustrious Italians. For it is somewhat remarkable how many of the men most distinguished in the council and in the field, in science, literature, and in art, bear names which testify to a German origin. And we are even able, in certain cases, to indicate with a fair amount of probability the particular race of Germans from whom these names may be taken to be derived. The rule laid down by Max Müller (Science of Language) that words in Italian beginning with gua, gue, gui, may be taken to be pretty certainly of German origin, holds good also of Italian names. Now this form of gua, gue, gui represents the prefix of g before w, which was a special characteristic of the Franks, as it is still of their descendants, the French, in such names as Guillaume (=Gwillaume) for Wilhelm or William. In some cases, though more rarely, this prefix of g, in accordance with a High German tendency, becomes a hard c and is represented by q, as in Queringi and perhaps Quirini. Such names then as Gualdo, Guardi, Guido, Guicciardini, Guarnerius, may be taken as certainly of German, and I think, more especially of Frankish origin.

To begin with the names of warriors, the list may well be headed by that of the old hero, Garibaldi. Garibald (gar, spear, and bald, bold) was a well-known Old German name, being borne, among others, by a Duke in Bavaria in the sixth century, by six bishops in the three centuries following, and, what is more to the purpose, by two Lombard kings in Italy. We ourselves have the name in its Saxon form (gor for gar) as Gorbold and Corbould (O.G. Kerbald), and the French have it as Gerbault. "Blind old Dandalo" may also be claimed as German; Dandalo, corresponding with an O.G. Dantulo, being formed as a diminutive from the Old German name Dando. I have elsewhere made the suggestion, which I venture here to reproduce, that Bonaparte may also be a name of German origin, slightly changed to give it a seeming meaning in Italian. The case stands thus. Bonibert and Bonipert are found as Old Frankish names, respectively of the seventh and the ninth centuries. In that part of Italy which was overrun by the Franks, namely at Turin, is to be found the present Italian name Boniperti, which we can hardly doubt to be derived from the Old Frankish Bonipert. Now from this part of Italy came originally also the Bonapartes, and the question is simply this, May not the name Bonaparte originate in an attempt to give something of an Italian meaning to this other name Boniperti, which would convey no sense to an Italian ear? The French still have the Old Frankish name as Bompart (changing n before a labial into m, as they do in Edimbourg for Edinburgh); there was a vice-admiral of that name who proved his courage by engaging, though unsuccessfully, an English frigate of superior force. And we – or at any rate the Americans – have it in a Saxon form as Bonbright (Suffolk Surnames). And very appropriate, if we were to translate it, would be the meaning —bona, a slayer, and bert or pert, illustrious.