An example of the interchange of b and P (Chapter III). Hob is
usually regarded as one of the rimed forms from Robert (Chapter VI).
Roger Crom.
Crum, Crump.
Lit. crooked, cognate with Ger. krumm. The final -p of Crump is
excrescent (Chapter III).
Stephen Cornevaleis
Cornwallis, Cornish.
A name which would begin in Devonshire (Chapter XI).
Hundred Rolls
Modern Form
Walter de Ibernia
Ireland
A much more common name than Scotland, which has been squeezed out by
Scott (Chapter XI).
Matilda filia Matildae
Mawson (for Maud-son), Till, Tilley, Tillett, Tillotson, etc.
One of the favourite girl-names during the surname period (Chapter X).
Ralph Vouler.
Fowler
A West-country pronunciation; cf. Vowle for Fowell, Vokes for Foakes
(Chapter VI), Venn for Fenn, etc.
John filius Thomae.
Thompson, Tompkins, Tomlin, etc.
One of the largest surname families. It includes Toulmin, a
metathesis of Tomlin. In Townson and Tonson it coalesces with Tony,
Anthony.
Henry Bolle.
Bull.
In this case evidently a nickname (Chapter I).
Roger Gyle.
Gill.
For names in Gil- see Chapter VI. The form in the roll may, however,
represent an uncomplimentary nickname, "guile."
Walter Molendarius.
Miller, Mellen, Milner.
In Milne, Milner, we have the oldest form, representing Vulgar Lat.
molina, mill cf. Kilner, from kiln, Lat. culina, kitchen. Millard
(Chapter XIX) is perhaps sometimes the same name with excrescent -d.
Thomas Berker.
Barker.
A man who stripped bark, also a tanner. But as a surname reinforced
by the Norman form of Fr. berger, a shepherd (Chapter XV).
Hundred Rolls
Modern Form
Matthew Hedde.
Head.
Sometimes local, at the head, but here a nickname; cf. Tate, Tail,
sometimes from Fr. tete (Chapter XIII).
Richard Joyet.
Jowett, Jewett.
A diminutive either of Joy or of Julian, Juliana. But it is possible
that Joy itself is not the abstract noun, but a shortened form of
Julian.
Adam Kyg.
Ketch, Beach
An obsolete adjective meaning lively (Chapter XXII).
Simon filius Johannis Nigelli.
Johnson, Jones, Jennings, etc.
The derivatives of John are numerous and not to be distinguished from
those of Joan, Jane (Chapter X).
The above lists illustrate all the simpler ways in which surnames
could be formed. At the time of compilation they were not hereditary.
Thus the last man on the list is Simon Johnson, but his father was
John Neilson, or Nelson (Chapter X), and his son would be ---- Simpson,
Sims, etc. This would go on until, at a period varying with the
locality, the wealth and importance of the individual, one name in the
line would become accidentally petrified and persist to the present
day. The chain could, of course, be broken at any time by the
assumption of a name from one of the other three classes (Chapter I).
CHAPTER III. SPELLING AND SOUND
"Do you spell it with a V or a W?" inquired the judge.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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