CHAPTER VII.
THE OLD FRANKS AND THE PRESENT FRENCH.
To any one who takes note of the large proportion of French Christian names which are of German origin, the question, one would think, might naturally suggest itself—If such be the case with Christian names, may it not also be the case with regard to surnames? The Christian names Albert, Adolphe, Alfonse, Charles, Claude, Edouard, Edmonde, Ferdinand, Gerard, Henri, Louis, Philibert, Robert, Richarde, Rudolfe, Guillaume, and the women's Adèle, Clotilde, Louise, Mathilde, Hélöise, and many others, serve to remind us that the French have come of the Franks. That the same holds good also of French surnames I have in a previous work endeavoured to prove in considerable detail, and I will not go over the ground again further than at the end of this chapter to present as an illustration of my views upon the subject one or two stems complete with their branches.
The Franks being a branch of a High German, and the Saxons of a Low German stock, it follows that French names, as compared with English, should, in names of Teutonic origin, exhibit High German forms in comparison with our Low German. One of these differences is, for instance, au for ea, as in German auge, Anglo-Saxon, eage, English, eye. Thus the Anglo-Saxon ead, happiness, prosperity, so common in men's names, is in Frankish represented by aud, or od—hence the name of the Norman bishop Odo is the counterpart of an Anglo-Saxon Eada or Eda, and the name of the Lombard king Audoin (Audwin), is the counterpart of the Anglo-Saxon Eadwin. It will be seen then that the French Christian name Edouard is not a true Frankish form—the proper form is shown in two French surnames, Audouard and Audevard. I cannot account for the particular case of this Christian name on any other ground than that simply of euphony. The corresponding Italian Christian name, Odoardo, come to them through the Franks or the Lombards, represents, it will be seen, the proper High German form. The High German forms, then, that appear in English names may be taken to a great extent to represent Old Frankish names that have come to us through the Normans. But the number of such names appears to be greater than could reasonably be thus accounted for, and moreover we seem, as I have noted at p. [75], to have had such forms even in Anglo-Saxon times, e.g. both the forms ead or ed, and aud or od, in the names of our early settlers. And it appears to me therefore that Lappenberg's theory that Franks, Lombards, and Frisians were among the early settlers, is one that deserves most careful consideration. And I propose at present to deal with the subject, so far as the Franks are concerned, and to trace out to the best of my ability, the Frankish forms that seem to present themselves in Anglo-Saxon times, and also in our existing surnames. In so doing, I wish to disclaim any assumption of philological knowledge such as might be implied by dealing with the niceties of ancient dialects. All that I proceed upon is this—I find from German writers that certain forms prevailed in Frankish names, and I compare them with certain forms apparently of the same kind which I find in Anglo-Saxon times.
Now the ancient Frankish speech, along with the ordinary characteristics of a High German dialect, had some special peculiarities of its own, and it is through these that we have the best chance of obtaining satisfactory indications. Of these there are three forms in particular, with each of which I propose to deal in turn, placing at the head the group of surnames which I take to owe their origin to this source. And as assisting to throw light upon the subject I have in some cases introduced the present French names corresponding.
CHAD, CHATTO, CHATTING, CHADDOCK, CHABOT, CHADBORN, CHADMAN, CHADWICK, CHATTOWAY, CHATWIN, CHATWOOD, CHARD, CHART, CHARTER, CHAIN, CHANEY, CHILDAR, CHILDREN, CHILL, CHILLMAN, CHILLMAID, CHUBB, CHUBBACK, CHOPPIN.
One of the peculiarities of the Frankish dialect especially during the Merovingian period, was the prefix of c before names beginning with h, as in Childebert and Childeric for Hildebert and Hilderic. Of this there seem to be considerable traces in Anglo-Saxon times, as will be seen from the following:—
Chad for had, war.
A.S. Chad, bishop of Lichfield—Ceada, found in Ceadanford—Cedda, found in Ceddanleah—Frankish, Chaddo. Eng. Chad, Chatto.
Diminutive.