Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

1. — Physical and External Peculiarities.
   1. Nicknames from peculiarities of relationship, condition, age, size, shape, and capacity.
   2. Nicknames from peculiarities of complexion.
   3. Nicknames from peculiarities of dress and its accoutrements.

2. — Mental and Moral Peculiarities.
   1. Nicknames from peculiarities of disposition — complimentary.
   2. Nicknames from peculiarities of disposition — objectionable.

3. — Miscellaneous.
   1. Nicknames from the animal and vegetable kingdom.
   2. Descriptive compounds affixed as nicknames.
   3. 'Nicknames from oaths, street-cries, and mottoes.

I. — PHYSICAL AND EXTERNAL PECULIARITIES.

(I) Nicknames from Peculiarities of Relationship, Age, Size, and Capacity.

(a) Relationship. — There is scarcely any position in which one man can stand to another which is not foundrecorded pure and simple in the surnames of to-day. The manner in which these arose was natural enough. We still talk of 'John Smith, Senior,' and 'John

1 I use this phrase as the most convenient. I shall have to record many descriptive compounds under every separate division, but it is the most suited for my purpose, and will embrace all the more eccentricnicknames that I have met with in my researches, especially those made up of verb and substantive, a practice which opened out a wide field for the inventive powers of our forefathers.

'NICKNAMES.'

Smith, junior,' when we require a distinction to be made between two of the same name. So it was then, only the practice was carried further. I find, for instance, in one simple record, the following insertions: — 'John Darcy le fiz,' 'John Darcy le frere,' 'John Darcy le unkle,' 'John Darcy le cosyn,' 'John Darcy le nevue,' and 'John Darcy, junior.' How easy would it be for those in whose immediate community these different representatives of the one same name lived to style each by his term of relationship, and for this, once familiarised, to become his surname. 'Uncle,' 'once found as 'Robert le Unkle,' or 'John le Uncle,' is now quite obsolete, I think; but the pretty old Saxon 'Eame' abides hale and hearty in our numberless 'Eames,' ' Ames,' 'Emes,' and Yeames.' We find it used in the 'Townley Mysteries.' In one of them Rebecca tells Jacob he must flee for fear of Esau-

Jacob.	Wheder-ward shuld I go, dame?
Rebecca.	To Mesopotameam To my brother and thyne eme, That dwellys beside Jordan streme.

The 'Promp. Par.' defines a cozen to be an ' emys son,' and it is from him, no doubt, our many 'Cousens,' ' Cousins,' 'Couzens,' and 'Cozens' have sprung, descended as they are from 'Richard le Cusyn' (A.), or 'John le Cosyn' (G.), or 'Thomas le Cozun' (E.). 'Kinsman' ('John Kynnesman,'Z. Z.) may be of the same degree. 'Widowson' William le Wedweson,' R., 'Simon fil. Vidue,' A.2) is apparently the same as

1 'Lease to Thomas Unkle of a wood within the manor of Bolynbroke, Nov. 30, 1485.' (Materials for Hist. Henry VII. 593 p.)

2 The English form of Guido was commonly Wydo — hence such entries as 'Wydo Wodecok,' or 'William fil. Wydo.' Thus, as I have already said, 'Widowson' may be a patronymic.