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 [Greek: Benilos], 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
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