The Eomance of Names. By Ernest Weekley. (John Murray. Sa.
6d. net.)—Mr. Weekley tells us that "the etymological study of surnames has scarcely been touched at present, except by writers to whom philology is an unknown science." As a specimen of the difficulties which beset the subject, he gives us an excursus on the name Rutter, which may be derived from refer, a ruffian, or routier, a vagabond, or possibly from vetoer, a player on the rote or mediaeval fiddle, which would make it a doublet of Crowther. Of our three commonest English names—Smith, Taylor, and Brown—the first two are derived from occupations, whilst the third originated as a nickname. Other occupative names are Clark, Wright, Walker, Turner, and Cooper. The commonest local names are Hall, Wood, and Green, from residence by the great house, the wood, and the village green—compare the French Lasalle, Dubois, and Dupre. White, Sharp, and Young represent nicknames. Baptismal names give us the classes of Lewis and Robinson. Atkins is the eon of Adam or Arthur.
Previous page
