English surmanes.
статья по английскому языку

Статья на тему «Происхождение английских фамилий»

SURNAMES IN ENGLAND

      Surnames, in the sense of a fixed family name passed down through the generations, came to England from the 11th century onwards, and became universal during the 13th14th centuries. In most towns and villages before that, people would often have extra tags added to their names. If a village had 6 men called John in it, people would talk about John the Baker, John by the Church, John the Tall, and so forth. But John the Baker’s son Henry would, if he became a carpenter, be Henry the Carpenter, as an adult, not Henry Baker.

      Surnames started off as an aristocratic idea – there may have been a few in AngloSaxon times, but the Norman Barons who came over with William the Conqueror really kicked it off. William is a great example of pre-surnames – he was William the Conqueror but his son, who followed him as King, was William Rufus (the red) because he had red hair or face. William the Conqueror’s next son to become King of England, Henry I, was commonly called Henry Curthose, because he wore short-length hose on his legs.

       Many English surnames derive from occupations. As the 13-14th centuries drew on, John the Baker’s son was called Henry Baker, even if he followed another trade altogether.

      The most common English surname today is “Smith”, as blacksmiths, goldsmiths, silversmiths and so forth were abundant across England. Other fairly common surnames show an obvious link to trades and occupations: Archer, Baker, Carter, Cook, Carpenter, Driver, Miller, Taylor, and Weaver. In many cases, surnames come from occupations which don’t exist anymore, or where the word for the occupation has changed over time, and therefore the origin of the surname isn’t obvious, like:

      Bailey is a corruption of “Bailiff”, a person who helped establish law and order.

      A barker or a tanner was a man who tanned leather – so the surnames

      A chapman was a man who sold things, often a travelling salesman with a pack full of small items.

      Coopers made barrels. Fletchers made arrows. Turner means a man who turned wood on a lathe, usually to create table-legs or poles. Ward comes from someone who guarded or protected something. Wright means a person who makes things (from Old English wryhta, meaning “worker”). Cartwright made carts: a Wainwright made wagons or carts, a Wheelwright made wheels.

     Some surnames look obvious, such as “Walker”, but a walker was a man who helped full cloth, that is, turn it into tougher, less shrinkable woolen material. It comes from the Middle English word walkcere, meaning a man who fulls cloth with his feet. The surnames “Fuller” and “Tucker” refer to men who worked in fulling cloth, too. “Butler” is partly an occupational surname, from the Old French word bouteillier, or servant in charge of wine supplies. Many surnames appear to show a high-ranking status, such as Bishop, Lord, Duke, and King. In most cases, the surname was started by a man who was in the employ or service of a Lord or Bishop, rather than actually being one himself.

By Fomchenko O.V.