Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

ful to the Puritan conscience, has, from one reason or another, gone down in the world, and now has again resumed its early place as second.

The surnames that have descended to us from 'William' and 'John' are wellnigh numberless — far too many for enumeration here. To begin with the former, however, we find that the simple 'William's' and ' Williamson' occupy whole pages of our directories. Besides these, we have from the curter 'Will,' 'Wills,' 'Willis,' and 'Wilson;' from the diminutive 'Guillemot' or 'Gwillot,' as it is often spelt in olden records, ' Gillot,' 'Gillott; and 'Gillett;' or from Williamot,' 'the more English form of the same, Willmot,' 'Wilmot, 'Willot,' 'Willet,' and 'Willert.' In conjunction with the pet addenda, we get 'Wilks,' 'Wilkins,' and 'Wilkinson,' and 'Wilcox,' 'Wilcocson,'and ' Wilcockson.' Lastly, we have representatives of the more corrupt forms in such names as 'Weeks,' ' Wickens,' 'Wickenson,' and 'Bill ' and 'Bilson.'Mr. Lower, who does not quote any authority for the statement, alleges that there was an old provincial nickname for 'William' — viz.,' Till;' whence ' Tilson,'Tillot,' 'Tillotson,' and 'Tilly.' That these are sprung from 'Till' is evident, but there can be no reasonable doubt that this is but the still existing curtailment of 'Matilda; which, as the most familiar female name of that day, would originate many a family so entitled. Tyllott Thompson' is a name occurring in York in 1414. Thus it is to the Conqueror's wife, and not

1 A certain John Willimote, a taverner, was sworn before the Chancellor of Oxford University to sell good beer, 1434. (Mun. Acad. Oxon, P.595).' Williametta Cantatrix.' (Rot. Lit. Clausarum).

PATRONYMIC SURNAMES.

himself, these latter owe their rise. It is not the first time a wife's property has thus been rudely wrenched from her for her husband's benefit. The surnames from 'John' are as multifarious as is possible in the case of a monosyllable, ingenuity in the contraction thereof being thus manifestly limited. As 'John' simple it is very rare; but this has been well atoned for by 'Jones,' which, adding 'John ' again as a praenomen, would be (as has been well said by the Registrar-General) in Wales a perpetual incognito, and being proclaimed at the cross of a market town would indicate no one in particular. Certainly 'John Jones,' in the Principality, is but a living contradiction to the purposes for which names and surnames came into existence. Besides this, however, we have 'John-son' and 'Jonson,' 'Johncock' and 'Jenkins,' 'Jennings' and 'Jenkinson,' ' Jackson' and 'Jacox,' and 'Jenks;' which latter, however, now bids fair, under the patronage of 'Ginx's Baby,'to be found for the future in a new and more quaint dress than it has hitherto worn. Besides several of the above, it is to the Welsh, also, we owe our 'Ivens,' 'Evans,' and

Bevans' (i.e. Ap-Evan), which are but sprung from the same name. The Flemings, too, have not suffered their form of it to die out for lack of support; for it is with the settlement of 'Hans,' 'a mere abbreviation

1 A curious spelling of this is found in the entry, 'Haunce, the Luter, ii.s — vi.d.' (Privy Purse Exp. Princess Mary, p. 104.) 'Han-kin Booby' was the common name for a clown. (Chappell's English Songs, i. 73.)

'Thus for her love and loss poor Hankin dies,

His amorous soul down flies.'
Musarum Deliciae, 1655.