English Surnames: Their Sources and SignificationsBardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
History
English Surnames: Their Sources and Significations
Bardsley, Charles Wareing Endell
Names, English; Names, Personal -- English
The popular notion that ‘Howard’ is nothing but ‘Hogward’ is not borne
out by facts. We find no trace whatever of its gradual reduction into
such a corrupt form. As we shall have occasion to show hereafter, it is
our ‘Hoggarts’ who thus maintain the honours of our swine-tending
ancestors. There can be little doubt, indeed, that ‘Howard’ is but
another form of ‘Harvard’ or ‘Hereward.’ That it had early become so
pronounced and spelt we can prove by an entry occurring in the Test.
Ebor. (Surt. Soc.) where one ‘John Fitz-howard’ is registered. Our
‘Hermans’ and ‘Harmans’ represent ‘Herman,’ a name which, though in
early use in England, we owe chiefly to immigration in later days. Such
entries as ‘Herman de Francia’ or ‘Herman de Alemannia’ are occasionally
met with. The fuller patronymic attached itself to this name; hence such
entries as ‘Walter Hermanson,’ and ‘John Urmynson,’ ‘Harmer,’ and
‘Hermer,’ seem to be somewhat of kin to the last. The personal form is
found in ‘Robert fil. Hermer,’ and the surname in ‘Hopkins Harmar.’
Besides ‘Hardwin,’ ‘Hadwin’ is also met with as a relic of the same,
while ‘Harding’ has remained unaltered from the day when registrars
entered such names as ‘Robert fil. Harding’ and ‘Maurice fil. Harding;’
but this, as ‘Fitz-harding’ reminds us, must be looked upon as of Norman
introduction. Nor must ‘Swain’ be forgotten. We find in the Survey the
wife of ‘Edward filius Suani,’ figuring among the tenants-in-chief of
Essex. This is of course but our present ‘Swainson’ or ‘Swanson;’ and
when we add all the ‘Swains,’ ‘Swayns,’ and ‘Swaynes’ of our directories
we shall find that this name has a tolerably assured position in the
nineteenth century. ‘Swain’ implied strength, specially the strength of
youth; and as Samson’s strength became utter weakness through his
affection, so I suppose it has fared with ‘Swain.’ The country shepherd
piping to his mistress, the lovesick bachelor, has monopolised the
title. As a personal name it occurs in such registrations as ‘Sweyn
Colle,’ ‘Swanus le Riche,’ or ‘Adam fil. Swain.’
II.—_Names introduced or confirmed by the Normans._
Of names specially introduced at the Conquest, or that received an
impulse by that event, we may mention ‘Serl’ and ‘Harvey.’ ‘Serl,’ found
in such names as ‘Serle Morice’ or ‘Serle Gotokirke,’ or ‘John fil.
Serlo,’ still abides in our ‘Searles’ and ‘Serles,’ ‘Serrells’ and
‘Serlsons.’ ‘William Serleson’ occurs in an old Yorkshire register, and
‘Richard Serelson’ in the Parliamentary Writs. The Norman diminutive
also appears in Matilda Sirlot (A) and Mabel Sirlot (A).[13] ‘Harvey,’
or ‘Herve,’ was more common than many may imagine, and a fair number of
entries such as ‘Herveus le Gos’ or ‘William fil. Hervei,’ may be seen
in all our large rolls. The Malvern poet in his ‘Piers Plowman’ employs
the name:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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