Surnames as a Science

by Robert Ferguson

It follows inevitably that, among the multitude of names such as are included within the scope of this work, there must be many which, though being of ancient origin, accidentally coincide with other words of modern meaning. And thus there are several which might be taken to be from names of women, such as the following:—

ANNE, NANNY, BETTY, SALL, MOLL, PEGG, BABB, MAGG, MEGGY, MAY, MAYO, NELLY, LUCY, KITTY, HANNAH, MAUDE.

These are all English surnames, and have sometimes been accounted for on the supposition of illegitimacy. Now, I am very much inclined to doubt the existence, at least in England, of any names derived from women, inasmuch as in the whole range of our surnames I do not know of one that is unmistakably so derived. There is certainly a case, referred to at p. [57], of a surname ending in trud, a specially female ending, but, as I have there remarked, it does not necessarily follow that the word is the same as that used in women's names. There is, moreover, another name which a little puzzles me, Goodeve, which looks as if it were from the A.S. Godgefa, later Godiva. This is from a special female ending, and I know of no corresponding masculine. But this might be an exceptional case, for I doubt not that many a child in England, and possibly even boys, with an unwonted masculine ending, might be called after the noble woman who freed her people from the tax—

"And made herself an everlasting name."

However, whether this might be so or not, the case seems scarcely sufficient of itself to establish the principle. And with regard to names such as those of which I am now treating, the resemblance is only apparent, and, as I shall proceed to show, these are all in reality ancient names of men. Anna, for instance, was a king of the East Angles, and Moll the name of a king of Northumbria. Anna, Betti, Salla, Moll, Pega, are early men's names in the Liber Vitæ, and all of the above are to be found in some kindred form in the Altdeutsches Namenbuch. And some of these names still bear their ancient meaning on their front, thus Pegg is the "pegger," and Moll (or Maule, the more proper form) is the "mauler," the stem being referred to Goth. mauljan, to maul.

To take, then, these names in order, Anne, which corresponds with many ancient names besides that of the king of the East Angles, among others with that of an Anna, Archbishop of Cologne in the eleventh century, may be referred to O.H.G. ano, ancestor. And Hannah (more properly Hanna) is, with the ending in a, p. [24], the same as Hanney and Hann, probably from the same stem, the h being falsely assumed. Nanny corresponds with an O.G. Nanno, referred to Goth. nanthian, audere. Betty, along with which we must take Batty, is to be referred to A.S. beado, O.H.G. bado, war, found in many ancient names. Sall, along with Sala, is from a stem, p. [62], supposed by Foerstemann to mean dark. Kitty, along with Kitt and Kitto, and also Kidd, corresponding with an A.S. Cydd, p. [98], and a Cyda, in the Liber Vitæ, is from a stem gid, kit, referred to A.S. giddian, to sing. Babb, corresponding with an A.S. Babba, the name of a moneyer, and other ancient names, is from a stem which Foerstemann thinks must have been originally derived from "children's speech." Magg and Meggy, corresponding with an A.S. Mæg and Mecga, and an O.G. Megi, are from a stem referred to Goth. magan, posse, valere; and May, along with Mayo, corresponding with an O.G. Maio, and perhaps with a Maio on Roman pottery, is a softened form of the same. Lucy corresponds with an O.G. Liuzi, a High German form from liud, people, and I think must have come to us through the Normans. Nelly, along with Knell, is referred to at p. [161], as probably from O.N. hnalla, to beat. Maude stands on a somewhat different footing from the rest, the surname being really in this case from the same origin as the woman's name. But the woman's name, as I shall endeavour to show in the next chapter, owes its origin to an ancient mistake, and is properly a man's name.

Names apparently from Animals.

Many of the names apparently from animals are also to be otherwise explained. A few of the nobler animals, as the bear, the wolf, and the boar, are to be found in the names of men throughout the Teutonic system. The lion also and the horse occur, though by no means so commonly. The urus, or wild ox, appears to have contributed a few names, of which our Ure may be one. I have met with the fox in one single instance, that of a Northman, Füks, on a runic inscription quoted by Stevens, though it is rather probable that Foxes beorh, "Fox's barrow" (Kemble, Cod. Dip.), may also be from the name of a man. Among birds, the eagle, the raven, and the swan were common throughout the Teutonic system, the last, among the Germans, more especially in the names of women. To account for this, Weinhold observes that along with the beauty of the swan was contained a warlike sense derived from the swan plumage of the maids of Odin. But among the Danes and the Saxon sea-rovers Swan seems to have been common as a man's name, and in this case the idea was more probably that of the way in which the swan rides the waters as the ideal of a rover's life. The eagle, the raven, the swan, the hawk, and the finch seem to be found in the Earningas, the Ræfningas, the Suaningas, the Haucingas, and the Fincingas, among our early settlers, though the two last do not seem to occur in the Teutonic system generally. I doubt all names that appear to be from fishes, and, with one notable exception, all names that appear to be from reptiles or insects. That exception is the snake, which was in special favour for the names of men among the Danes and Northmen, there being no fewer than twenty-four men called Ormr (worm or snake) in the Landnamabôk of Iceland. Hence the name Orme, rather common among us, and the Saxon form Worm, not by any means common. Among the Germans the snake was, according to Weinhold, who looks upon it as the type of fascination and insinuation, in especial favour for the names of women. The two principal words in use among them were lind (O.H.G. lint, snake) and ling (O.N. lingvi, serpent). Hence may be our Lind and Lindo, corresponding with an O.G. Linto; and Ling and Lingo, corresponding with an O.G. Lingo, and an O.N. Lingi. But both of these derivations are somewhat uncertain, and especially the former, for I venture to think that lind, gentle, is at least as appropriate for women as lind, snake. To come then to the names which I take to be otherwise explained.

CAMEL, LEOPARD, BUCK, PIGG, RABBIT, CAT, RAT, MOUSE, SQUIRRELL. GOOSE, GOSLING, GANDER, DUCK, DUCKLING, OSTRICH, LARK, WREN. FISH, SHARK, DOLPHIN, SALMON, TROUT, WHITING, SMELT, HADDOCK, HERRING, TUNNY, SPRATT, MINNOW, LAMPREY. MOTH, MOTE, FLY, FLEA, EARWIG, EMMETT.

Of the above, Camel is another form of Gamol, signifying old; there is a Northman called Kamol in a runic inscription in Stevens. Leopard (see p. [151]) is a corruption of Liubhard. Buck is found among the early Saxon settlers, also as an O.G. Bucco, and a Buccus, rather probably German, on Roman pottery, and may be taken to be another form of Bugg, p. [3]. Pigg, corresponding with an O.G. Pigo, must be referred to the same stem as Pegg, viz. bichen, to slash. Rabbit is no doubt the same as a Rabbod, a "Duke of the Frisians" mentioned by Roger of Wendover, a contraction of Radbod, p. [119]. Catt, along with Cattey, is another form of Gatty, corresponding with an O.G. Gatto (gatten, to unite). Ratt, corresponding with a French Ratte, may be referred to an O.G. Rato (rad or rat, counsel). Along with Mouse I take Moss, also a present German Muss, and a French Mousse, all of which may be referred to an O.G. Muoza, a High German form of môd, môt, courage; this name having rather probably come to us through the Normans. Squirrell I have referred to at p. [160]. Goose and Gosling I also take to have probably come to us through the Normans, as representing a High German form of the stem gaud (supposed to mean Goth). There are to compare French names Gousse, Gosselin, Josselin, corresponding with Old German names Gauso and Gauzelin, the latter a diminutive. Hence also, as a Christian name, Jocelyn, of Old Frankish origin, come to us through the Normans. Gander is from an A.S. Gandar, referred to in its place as a compound of gand, probably signifying wolf. Duck, corresponding with a Duce (hard c) in the Liber Vitæ, is another form of Tuck, as in the Tucingas, early settlers in Kemble's list, from the stem dug, A.S. dugan, to be "doughty." And Duckling, corresponding with an A.S. Duceling, p. [98], and an O.G. Dugelin, is a diminutive (like Gosling) from the same stem. Ostrich represents an O.G. Austoric, and an A.S. Estrich (Auster or Easter orientalis). Wren, along with Rennie and Renno, is from a stem referred to ran, rapine; though it may also be the same name as Rain, from ragin, counsel. Lark and Laverock are perhaps a little uncertain; we find Anglo-Saxon names Lauerc, Lauroca, and Laferca, which might be from the A.S. laferc, O.E. laverock, lark. On the whole, however, I am rather more disposed to take them to be from Lafer among the early settlers (not I think a compound) with the diminutive ending ec, and similarly I would take Leverett to be formed from the same word, lafer or lefer, with the (perhaps also diminutive) ending et.