Names in English First Names and Surnames Personal Names
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Names in English First names and surnames Personal names y Personal names in English are divided into first names, surnames and middle names. y An official name formula in England requires a first name,a surname,and a middle name, if there is one. y Legally, today it is possible to change a name in England and there is a special procedure for it. But, traditionally the change of one’s name wasn’t permitted without a permit of clerical authorities. y When they marry, women in England can choose between taking husband’s surname, leaving their maiden surname or adding husband’s surname to her surname. Names in Old English y When we speak about OE period we can talk about names only. There were no surnames. y Sources for the research of AS names were chronicles, inscriptions, legends, libri vitae, etc. One of the most important is Domesday book from 1086. It is a list of owners, users and values of lands in England after the Norman Conquest. y One of the main problems with texts from this period is the lack of a uniform ortography. Every scribe wrote in his own way. y Another very important work from earlier period is Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum from 731, composed by a monk Venerable Bede. There are 215 names mentioned in it, but they are mostly aristocratic and the names of clergymen. AS names y An important fact for Anglosaxon names is that they had to be distinctive and each man could have only one name. This is why the naming system had to be able to produce a great number of different, fresh names. This was possible because of many elements from which names could be built. y In AS world there were monothematic and dithematic names. Monothematic names were composed of only one element of the name bank, and dithematic were composed of two elements. y Most names were dithematic, such as Aelfrīc, Wulfstān, Aelfstān, Wulfrīc, Æðe lwear d, Cēolfer d, Pēohdhtræd . y Each of these names carried a unique idea, produced by the combination of two name elements. This type of naming is characteristic for Germanic tribes, and we can find similar naming systems in continental Germanic languages. AS names y In Historia... we can find 90 different name themes. Let’s see what are they about: y nobility and renown – Æðel- (noble), Beorht-/ -beorht (radiant), Brego- (prince), Cūð- (renowned), Cyne- (royal), -frēa (lord), -mær (renowned), Torht- (radiant); y national pride – Peoht- (Pict), Swæf- (Swabian), Þēod- (nation), Wealh- / -wealh (Celt), and probably Seax- (Saxon); y religion – Ælf- (supernatural being), Ealh- (temple), Ōs- (deity); y strength and valour – Beald- / -beald (brave), Cēn- (brave), Hwæt- (brave), Noð- (boldness), Swīð-/- swīð (fem. strong), Þrŷd-/-þrŷd (fem. power), Weald- / -weald (power); y warriors and weapons – Beorn- (warrior), -bill (sword), -brord (spear), Dryht- (army), Ecg- (sword), -gār ()(spear), Here- / -here ()(army), WlfWulf- / -wulf (lf(wolf; warri)ior), and perhaps Seax- if meaning (dagger); y battle – Beadu-, Gūð- / gŷð fem., Heaðu-, Hild- / -hild fem., Wīg-, and also Sige- (victory); y peace - frið; -prudence – Ræd- / ræd (counsel); y defence – Bōt- (remedy), Burg- / -burg (fem., protection), -helm (protection), and –mund (protection). AS names y From these, we can see wishes characteristic for Germanic, warrior tribes, and we can see which values were important for them. y Of course there was also a certain magic present in naming, which was normal in all early medieval Europe. People were a special name would give extraordinary qualities to its bearer. y Unfortunately, in the texts from this AS period there are few women mentioned, so we don’t know many female names, but the naming system was the same. There were some themes that were used for both sexes, and some that were used for only male, or flfemale names. y This naming system does not change until the Norman Conquest. ME names y An imppypgortant source for names of early ME period is again Domesday book, because it shows us names from the period immediately after the Conquest. y After the Conquest, many immigrants came to England. All lan dlor ds, bis hops, abbotts etc. were subst itute d by Normans; many merchants came to England, and they all brought names with them. Soon after, AS names were almost completely substituted by Norman names, which were also mostly Germanic originally, but have gone through French filter. By 1250, almost all AS names were forgotten. y Names that become pppopular in that period are Alan,,, Alice, Christine , Geoffrey, John, Maud, Robert, Walter, William ... ME names y ME names came from other sources, too. Some of them came from Irish, e.g. Brian, Murdoc, Muriel, Neil . Many came from Biblical and Christian tradition, from saints or Fathers of the Church , such as John, Peter, Simon, Stephen, Thomas ModE names y Since there were some major sound changes between the ME and ModE period, these changes were also reflected on the naming system. y In this period we can divide names into those existing in previous periods, and new names. y Sources for the research of names in this period are too vast. ModE names y Here we have to mention some new trends in naming. y Puritan movement evoked the names from the Old Testament and from Hebrew tradition, e.g. Abraham, Aaron, Esther, Ruth; or Habakuk, Malachi, Jemima, Mahalia, Keziah ... y From Renai ssance on, La tin and Gree k names became popular, and this influenced the popularity of names ending in –a, such as Lucia with Lucy, Luce, Anna with Anne, Helena with Helen. y Literature was also veryyp influential in that period. Names endin g in –inda, were promoted by literary works. y Some poets invented new names for the need of their works: Sir Philip Sidney invented Pamela, Richard Lovelace invented Lucasta, William Shakespeare invented Juliet, Jonathan Swift invented Vanessa, and so on. Mod E names y With the arrival of the House of Hannover on the throne of England in 1714, some German names gaidined populliarity in EldEngland: George, CCliaroline, ChChlarlotte, and Albert. y In 18th and 19th centuries, literature recalls some forgotten names, such as Cedric, Guy, Nigel, Wilfred ; or Arthur, Edith, Hugh, Maud, Alfred, Roger. y In the 20th century there was a great fashion of borrowing some foreign names,such as Josephine, Louise from French; Danish Karen; Celtic Catriona, Fiona; Russian Natasha. y Finally, we have to mention the British colonial history, which has its repercussions on ttehe naming systesyste.m. Name ly, many immigra nts from ex-colo nies broug ht the ir naming systems to Britain, and today it is normal in England to hear names such as Krishna, Arjun, Sanjay, Shakti, Kanti from Hindu tradition; Surinder, Rupinder from Sikh tradition; Muhammad, Abdallah from Muslim tradition. y It is very interest ing to see that in 2001 Mooahamm edtook 26th pl ace on th e list of top 50 male names in England and Wales. By-names y By-name is an addition to a name and its purpose is the precise identification of a person. y It was present in English since OE times, and later by-name becomes a surname. y 4 types of by-names: familial, locative, honorific or occupational and characteristic. y Familial by-name was mostly composed by adding –sunu or –dohtor to father’s name, e.g. Wulfgÿð Ælfswïðe dohtor, Wulfhëah Ordhëages sunu; or by adding –ing to father’s name: Ælfråd Æðelwulfing . y Locative by-names: Ælfweard æt Dentune, Godcild of Lamburnan, Clac on Castre. y Occupational are rare because of the type of documents that survived, e.g. Wïcing bätswegen . y Characteristic by-names are the most interesting and they are mostly nicknames: Godwig së bucca... Surnames y The tra dit io n of surna mes came to Engla nd wit h Normans. They used to take the names of their estates as by-names and since they became hereditary, they became surnames. y This practice became common in all of England in 13th- 14th centuries. y Anot her reason for the increase in the number of surnames must have been the dicrease in the number of first names, and people just had to distinguish between many Johns, Williams, Roberts... Surnames y According to their origin, we can group English surnames into four groups: 1. surnames from geographic names; 2. surnames from familial relationships (patronyms), 3. surnames from occupations or status; 4. surnames from nicknames. y 1.Locative surnames derive from the name of the place where somebody lived, or from the name of the estate somebody owned, e.g. Thomas atte Forde... y Many such surnames derive from some little places or trees: Noke, Nash (atte an ake, atte an asce). y Many such surnames come from ethnonyms: English, Scott, Breton, Fleming, Angwin, Irish, Welsh, Wallas, Gall, Norman, Cornish, Cornwallis ... Surnames y Familial surnames are mostlyyp patrony ms, but rarely there are some matronyms. In OE these were composed by adding –ing or –sunu to father’s name: e.g. Dudding, Ēadrīcessunu . y Many surnames ending in –son in the North of England are thought to be Scandi navi an iflinfluence. y After the Norman Conquest AS names disappear, but many of them can be found in today’s surnames: e.g. Cwēnhild in Quennell, Ēadwacer in Edicker, Wæcerhild in Wackrell. y The greatest number of surnames derived from hyporistic forms of names: Surnames y - Richard – Rich, Richings, Ritchie; Hitch, Hitchcock, Hitchen, Hitchman, Hitchmough; - Rickard – Ricard, Rick, Ricky;Hick, Hicken, Hicklin, Hickman; Dick, Dickels, Dicken, Dickin, Dicketts; Digg, Diggen; Higgins, Higgs. y - RbRobert – RbbRabb, RRbbabbets, RRbjhabjohn, RRbabnott; RbbRobb, RbbiRobbie, Rop kins, Robins, Roblin; Dobb, Dobbie, Dobbin; Hob, Hobbins, Hoblin, Hopkin; Nabb, Nap, Nopp; y - Hugh – Hugo, Hue, Hew, How; Hewell, Hewett, Hewlett, Hewlins; Hudd, Hudden, Hudman, Hudsmith; y -William – Will, Wilkin, Wilcock, Willet, Willott; Willmott, Wellemin, Wellerman; Gill, Gilliam, Gillet, Guillerman..