There is another peculiarity which seems to be found in some of the names of Anglo-Saxon times, the form ch for (as I suppose) g, as in such a name as Cissa (Chissa) and Cippa (Chippa). Cissa I should suppose to be the same name as Gisa, that of a bishop in the time of Edward the Confessor, and Cippa the same as Gyp in Gypeswich. May not this be a Frisian form? Chippo comes before us as a name apparently Frisian.
CHIPP, CHIPPING, CHIPMAN, CHEESE, CHESSON, CHESMAN, CHESNUT, CHURN, CHIRNIE, CHITTY.
If the above be correct, Chipp, corresponding with an Anglo-Saxon Cippa found in Cippenham, a Ceapa found in Ceapan hlæw, and Cypa in Cypingas, also with a Chippo probably Frisian, would be another form of Gibb or Gipp, geban, to give. And Cheese, which appears as Chese in the Hundred Rolls, may represent Cissa as another form of Gisa (gis, hostage). There is a present Friesic name Tsjisse, which, though it looks more like an attempt to represent a sneeze than anything else, I take to have the sound of Chissa. Chesson may be taken to be from the ending in en, p. [27], and Chesnut might be from the ending noth, bold, frequent in Anglo-Saxon names. Churn and Chirney, corresponding with an O.G. Chirno, and perhaps with the Cearningas among the early settlers, might come in here as another form of gern, eager. And Chitty, perhaps the same name as that found in the Cidingas, may possibly be, on the same principle, another form of Giddy, Kiddy, or Kitty (stem gid, hilaris).
MUMM, MUMMY, MUMMERY.
There are a few Old German names, mostly of women, in Mam and Mum. And there are also two Old Frankish women's names, Mamma and Momma (apparently overlooked by Foerstemann), in the Pol. Irm. It seems difficult to take these names as from anything else than the widely-spread word signifying mother. In an age when names sat much more lightly than they do now, one might fancy such a word superseding a woman's original name. I can even conceive the possibility of such a name, its origin having somewhat passed out of sight, being given in a masculine form to a son. We have several instances in the Pol. Irm. of such a custom; for instance, where, the mother being called Genesia, the son is called Genesius, and the mother being called Deodata, the son is called Deodatus. However, this cannot be taken for anything more than a somewhat speculative suggestion. As in present use, the French name Mumm is well known in connection with dry champagne; the Germans have Muhm, and though I am not quite certain of Mumm as an English name, I think we may count upon Mummy (ending in i, p. [24]). Mummery might be a compound (hari, warrior), but from the facility with which n passes into m, I should be more disposed to take it to be a corruption of Munnery, corresponding with an O.G. Munihari, Goth. munan, to think.
BODY, FREEBODY, GOODBODY, LIGHTBODY, PEABODY, HANDSOMEBODY.
Body I take to be from O.N. bodi, envoy or messenger. It is found as an ending in many ancient names, particularly among the Saxons. And in our surnames it appears sometimes as representing ancient names, and sometimes more probably as a sobriquet of a later period. In the "Household Expences" of Eleanor, Countess of Montford, A.D. 1265, the names of her three messengers are given as Treubodi, Gobithesty, and Slingaway. These are all sobriquets,—Treubody is "trusty messenger," Gobithesty is from A.S. sti, a footpath, hence the name may be equivalent to "short-cut," and the last explains itself. Our name Handsomebody has clearly been a sobriquet of the same kind, and, referring to the older sense of "handsome," means a handy or useful messenger. Peabody, which I think may have been originally Pipbody, from pipr, swift, active, may also have been a sobriquet. So may Goodbody and Lightbody, but it is by no means certain. We might take our Lightfoot to have been a sobriquet, but we find a corresponding name, Lytafus (fus, foot) on Roman pottery. Freebody probably represents the O.G. Frithubodo, compounded with frith, peace.
BRAGG, BRACKIE, BRAY, PRAY, BRAGAN, BRACKEN, BRAIN, BRACKING, BRACKETT, BRAYMAN, BRAKEMAN, BREWIN.
There are two different origins from which this stem might be derived, A.S. brego, king, ruler, and A.S. bracan, to break, subdue, crush, the former being perhaps preferable upon the whole. There are but very few names in Old German, and Foerstemann does not make any suggestion as to the origin.
A.S. Bræg (found in Brægeshale), Bracca (found in Braccanheal). O.G. Brachio, Thuringian, sixth century. Eng. Bragg, Brackie, Bray, Pray.