Part 27 (1/2)
”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 Vitae_, 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 a.s.sumed. 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 Vitae_, 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. Maeg 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 n.o.bler 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, f.u.ks, 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 Raefningas, 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 _Landnamabok_ 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 princ.i.p.al 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. _b.i.+.c.hen_, 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 _mod_, _mot_, 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 Vitae_, 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_.
Coming to names apparently from fishes, I question very much whether Fiske and Fish are from A.S. _fisc_, pisces, though Foerstemann, in default of a better, gives that meaning in an ancient name, Fisculf. I think it is one of the cases in which a meaning is to be got from the Celtic, and take it that the Welsh _ffysg_, impetuous, supplies the sense that is required, of which also some slight traces are to be found in Teutonic dialects. Shark and Sharkey I take to be the same name as Sere in the _Liber Vitae_, from A.S. _serc_, Sco. ”sark,” s.h.i.+rt, in the sense of a s.h.i.+rt of mail. It is formed, according to Diefenbach, upon a stem _sar_ or _ser_, signifying armatura, p. 62; whence an O.G. Saracho, corresponding with the above. The Sercings are a tribe or family mentioned in the ”Traveller's Song,” and in connection with the Serings:
”With the Sercings I was, and with the Serings.”
The connection between the two, however, is here probably only for the sake of the alliteration. Dolphin is the Danish name Dolgfinnr, p. 48.
There was a Dolfin, presumably of Scandinavian origin, governor of Carlisle in the time of Rufus. Herring and Whiting are both from the Anglo-Saxon patronymic, p. 28, and Haddock, with the M.G. Had.i.c.ke, is a diminutive from the stem _had_, war, p. 54. Tunny, along with Tunn and Tunno (Tunna, _Lib. Vit._), is another form of Dunn, a common Anglo-Saxon name. Spratt I cla.s.s along with Sprout and Sprott, comparing them with an O.G. Sprutho, as from Goth, _sprauto_, nimble, active. And Minnow, along with Minn and Minney, corresponding with an O.G. Minna, may be taken to be from A.S. _myn_, love, affection. Salmon is the same as an O.G. Salaman, from, as supposed, _salo_, dark; and Trout may be the same as an O.G. Truto, probably signifying beloved. Smelt may be taken to be from A.S. _smelt_, gentle; it occurs once as the name of an Anglo-Saxon, but does not seem to be a word entering into the Teutonic system, and may have been originally a sobriquet. Lamprey I have already referred to, p. 115, as a probable corruption of Landfred.
Of names apparently from insects, Moth and Mote (Mote, _Hund. Rolls_) are probably the same as an O.G. Moata, from _mod_, _mot_, courage, German _muth_. Fly and Flea are included in a stem, p. 159; and Emmet may be taken to be from A.S. _emita_, quies, found in several ancient names. Earwig I have taken, p. 49, to be a contraction of Evorwig, as Earheart of Everhard, and Earwaker of Evorwacer.[57] Many other names of the same sort might be adduced, but those I have given will I think be sufficient for the purpose.
_Names apparently from Office or Occupation_:
LORD, EARL, ABBOTT, NUNN, BISHOP, PRIEST, ALDERMAN, PRENTICE, PRINCE, HAYWARD, HOWARD, ANGLER, ARCHER, AUTHER, FARRIER, HURLER, PLAYER, MARINER, WARNER, WALKER, PLOWMAN, ARKWRIGHT, HARTWRIGHT, SIEVEWRIGHT, GOODWRIGHT.
Lord, as noted at p. 158, can hardly be from A.S. _hlaford_, Eng. lord.
Earl, however, along with Early, seems to be the same word as Eng.
”earl,” though as a name entering into the Teutonic system it is only a word of general honorific meaning, and may not represent any man who ever bore the t.i.tle. Abbott I take to be the same as an A.S. Abbod, p.
96, the stem being, as supposed, from Goth. _aba_, man. Nunn, along with Nunney and Noon, compares with Nun, the name of a kinsman of Ina, king of Wess.e.x, and with O.G. Nunno and Nunni, the meaning of which seems somewhat obscure. Bishop, at least in its origin, can hardly have been from the office, for there is a Biscop in the genealogy of the kings of the Lindisfari, who must of course have been a heathen. The name in this case may be a compound of _bis_ (closely allied to _bas_, p. 5) and A.S.
_cof_, strenuous, which we find as the ending of some other A.S. names.
But after the advent of Christianity, a man, though inheriting the old name, would no doubt wear it with a difference. Priest must, I think, be what it seems, there is a witness to a charter (_Thorpe_, p. 69) whose name is Preost, and whose description is ”presbyter”; his original name, whatever it was, must have been so completely superseded by that of his office that at last he accepted it himself, and signed accordingly.
Alderman I have taken, p. 116, to be, even in Anglo-Saxon times, a corruption. Such a name, as derived from office, could hardly be borne by an Anglo-Saxon, unless, indeed, as a sobriquet, superseding his original name. So also Prentice, from an A.S. Prentsa, I take to be due to a corruption in Anglo-Saxon times. I am not sure that Prince may not be from the same name, Prentsa, dropping the vowel-ending and becoming Prents. A name which has been mistakenly supposed to be from some office of agricultural oversight is Hayward; it is however an ancient name, more properly Agward or Egward. Howard, which has been sometimes confounded with it, is an entirely different name, the O.N. Havardr (_ha_, high), introduced I think by the Danes or Northmen.
Some names formed with _wright_, as Arkwright, Hartwright, Sievewright, and Goodwright, will be found in their places in Chapter III. as, according to my view, ancient compounds. I might perhaps add Boatwright, from an O.G. Buotrit, and also Cheesewright, for which we have the stem, p. 155, though no ancient form to represent this particular compound.
The Wrihtingas, in Kemble's list of early settlers, I take to be properly Ritingas, from a stem _rit_, supposed to be the same as Eng.
”ride,” though perhaps in an older and more general sense of rapid motion. Many names ending in _er_, as Ambler, Angler, Archer, Auther, &c., are in reality from an ancient ending in _har_, signifying warrior.
Ambler represents an O.G. Amalher, p. 42, Angler an O.G. Angilher, p.
42, Archer an O.G. Erchear, p. 42, and Auther an O.G. Authar, p. 42.