The fuller is still called Walker in Germany. Banister is a corruption of balestier, a cross-bow man; cf. banister for baluster (p. [60]).
Some of the occupative names in -ward and -herd are rather deceptive. Hayward means hedge[138] guard. Howard is phonetically the Old French name Huard, but also often represents Hayward, Hereward, and the local Haworth, Howarth. For the social elevation of the sty-ward, see p. [90]. Durward is door-ward. The simple Ward, replaced in its general sense by warden, warder, etc., is one of our commonest surnames. Similarly Herd, replaced by herdsman, is borne as a surname by one who, if he attains not to the first three, is usually held more honourable than the thirty. The hog-herd survives as Hoggart; Seward is sometimes for sow-herd; Calvert represents calf-herd, and Stoddart stot-herd, i.e., bullock-herd:—
"'Shentlemans!' cried Andie, 'Shentlemans, ye hielant stot! If God would give ye the grace to see yersel' the way that ithers see ye, ye would throw your denner up.'"
(Catriona, Ch. 15.)
Lambert is in some cases lamb-herd, and Nutter is in all probability a perversion of neat-herd, through the North Country and Scot. nowt-herd. It is a common surname in Lancashire, and Alice Nutter was one of the Lancashire Witches.
NICKNAMES
In a sense all personal names are nicknames (see p. [114]), since they all give that additional information which enables us to distinguish one person from another. The practice of giving nicknames suggested by appearance, physique, or habits is common to the European languages; but, on the whole, our nicknames compare very unfavourably with those of savage nations. We cannot imagine an English swain calling his lady-love "Laughing Water." From Roman times onward, European nicknames are in their general character obvious and prosaic, and very many of them are the reverse of complimentary. The most objectionable have either disappeared,[139] or the original meaning has become so obscured as to cease to give offence to the possessor. When a man had any choice in the matter, he naturally preferred not to perpetuate a grotesque name conferred on some ancestor. Medieval names were conferred on the individual, and did not become definitely hereditary till the Reformation. In later times names could only be changed by form of law. It is thus that Bugg became Norfolk Howard, a considerable transformation inspired by a natural instinct to "avoid the opinion of baseness," as Camden puts it. We no longer connect Gosse with goose, nor Pennefather with a miser. Cotgrave has pinse-maille (pince-maille), "a pinch peny, scrape-good, nigard, miser, penie-father." In Purcell we lose Old Fr. pourcel (pourceau), little pig, Fitch no longer means a pole-cat, nor Brock a badger. On the other hand, we generally regard Gosling as a nickname, while it is more often a variant of Jocelyn.
Names descriptive of appearance or habits often correspond pretty closely with those that are found in French. In some cases they are probably mere translations. Examples are: Merryweather (Bontemps), Drinkwater (Boileau[140]), Armstrong (Fortinbras), Lilywhite (Blanchefleur). Among colour names we have Black, Brown, White, and Grey, but seem to miss red. The explanation is that for this colour we have adopted the Northern form Reid (Read, Reed), or such French names as Rudge (rouge), Rouse (roux), Russell (Rousseau). With the last of these, Old Fr. roussel, cf. Brunel and Morel. Fr. blond has given Blount, Blunt, and the diminutive Blundell, which exist by the side of the fine old English name Fairfax, from Mid. Eng. fax, hair. Several other French adjectives has given us surnames, e.g., Boon (bon), Bonner (débonnaire), Grant (grand), Curtis (courtois), Power (pauvre), etc. Payn is the French adjective païen, pagan, Lat. paganus, in early use as a personal name.
FOLK-ETYMOLOGY