EXTENDED FORM BOYER.
O.G. Baior, Peior, ninth century. English, Boyer, Byer. French, Boyer, Boyreau, Poyer.
Compound.
(Man, vir), English Beyerman.
FURTHER EXTENDED FORM—BAVARIAN.
O.G. Beiarin, eighth century. English Byron. French Boiron, Boyron.
Names apparently from abbreviated Christian names of men.
As I began this chapter with names apparently from women, such as Moll, Betty, Pegge, so now I propose to conclude it with names of a similar kind derived apparently from men.
BILL, BILLY, BILLOW, WILL, WILLY, WILLOEE, WILKE, WILKIE, WILKIN, WILLIS, WILLING, DICK, DICKLE, TICKLE, DICKEN, BENN, BENNEY, BENNOCH, BENNELL, TOM, TOMB, TOOMEY, TOMEY, DUME, DUMMELOW, DUMBELL, TOMMELL, TOMLIN, DUMLIN, DUMPLIN, HARRY, JACK, JAGO, JACKLIN, BOBY, BOFFEY, BUBB, BOBBIN.
No one would take our name Billing to be other than from the Anglo-Saxon Billing, of which so many traces are to be found in English place names. And no one, I venture to say, who looks into the subject, would dispute the ancient compounds formed on the stem, p. [45]. Why then should any one doubt Bill himself, the father of them all, or Billy, ending in i, p. [24], and Billow, ending in o and corresponding with an O.G. Bilo? Moreover the name is common to all the races who share with us in a Teutonic ancestry; the Germans have Bille, the Danes have Bille, and the French have Bille and Billey. The same remarks apply to Will, Willey, and Willoe, with the diminutives Wilke, Wilkie, Wilkin, Willis, patronymic Willing, and compounds, p. [66]. Dick I take to be the same word as found in Ticcingas, and suggest for it the meaning of power or vigour which seems to lie at the root. Hence Dickle and Tickle are the same as the Diccel found in Diccelingas, and Dicken is the same as an A.S. Ticcen, p. [102], while Dixie (Dicksie) may be from the ending in es, p. [33]. Benn and Benny represent the stem on which are formed the compounds, p. [45]. We have also as diminutives Bennoch, corresponding with an O.G. Bennico, an A.S. Benoc (in the genealogy of Ida, king of Bernicia), and a name Bennic (Bennici manû), on Roman pottery; and Bennell, corresponding with a Gothic Βενἡλος, in Procopius, besides other names in correspondence with ancient forms. Tom has its vowel shortened, but I take it to be the same as Tomb, Toomey, Tomey, and Dume, probably from A.S. dôm, O.H.G. tuom, judgment, "doom," ancient names in correspondence being Toma, p. [111], Tumma Lib. Vit., and Tomy Roll. Batt. Abb. With regard to the last, I may observe that the French still have corresponding names, as Thomé, Tombe, Thom, Dome, &c. Then, as diminutives, we have Dummelow, Dumbell, and Tommell, corresponding with O.G. Duomelo, Tomila, Tumila; and we have Tomlin, Dumlin (whence Dumplin), corresponding with O.G. Domlin, names in accordance with both of the above being also found in Germany and France. Harry, along with Harrow, and Harre, I take to represent the stem from which we have so many compounds, p. [55]. Jack, along with Jago, and corresponding with an O.G. Jacco, I take to be from O.H.G. jagon, to hunt. Hence as a diminutive, we have Jacklin, corresponding with Jagelinus and Jachelinus (Domesday), and with present German Jacklin, and French Jacquelin. The stem seems to be somewhat better represented in French names than in English; among others they have Jacquard (ward, guardian), who gave his name to the Jacquard loom. Boby, Boffey, and Bubb I take to be the same as Boba, in a charter of Egbert, and Bofa, dux, in a charter of Ceolwulf of Mercia, also as Old German names, Bobo, Bovo, Boffo, and Bubo, the word concerned being probably to be found in German bube, Dutch boef, boy. Kemble has both Bobbingas and Bovingas, different forms, I take it, of the same name, in his list of early settlers. Our name Bobbin, which corresponds with an O.G. Bobin, may be taken as an example of the ending in en, p. [27].