Historically Speaking
By Patricia Harris ,
President, DC Historical Society
ORIGINS OF
POPULAR DODD. CO.
SURNAMES
As some of you may know, I worked as a professional genealogist for many years. When I first began researching in the early 1980s, we did not use computers. This meant that my dear friend, Janet Brissey Sheets, and I spent many hours at the Archives in Charleston. When we weren’t there, we were searching through dusty old record books at many of the county courthouses throughout West Virginia. My how things have changed. Today we can get much of the information online using Ancestry.com, myheritage.com, and familytree.com. DNA is another great source for research on family lineage.
I must caution that if you use any of these resources, always confirm the facts with documentation or you might find that you have researched a branch of the tree for 300 years that was the wrong branch and sometimes even the wrong tree altogether. If you are one of those researchers, I wish you good luck and great success. There is little that can compare with the satisfaction of knowing the history of the blood that flows through one’s veins.
In searching for one’s history, a good place to begin is with your surname (your last name). The origin of your last name can often reveal a lot about your earliest ancestors’ birthplaces, occupations, and more. It is the most hereditary part of your name. It indicates one’s family and usually follows your given name (first name). However, depending on the culture, the surname could be placed at the start of a person’s name.
Depending on the culture, the number of surnames given to an individual also varies, but in most cases, there is just one. Many Spanish-speaking countries use two surnames for legal purposes. Depending on culture, not all of the family members are required to have identical surnames. In some countries, surnames are modified depending on the gender and family membership status of a person. Sometimes compound surnames can be composed of separate names.
Some people believe that using surnames is a practice that began in the last several hundred years, but the use of a surname can be documented as far back as the 11th century by the elites in England. By the 1400s, most English and the Lowland Scotland people had begun to use a hereditary surname. By the 16th century, nearly everyone was using a surname.
Family names frequently developed from hypocoristic (shortened form or nickname) forms of given names. For example, from Henry came Harry, Harris, Hal, Halkin; from Gilbert came Gibbs, Gibbons, Gibbin, Gipps, Gilbye, and Gilpin; and from Gregory there developed Gregg, Grigg, Greggs, Griggs, Greig. Other sources of family names are original nicknames, from which came Biggs, Little, Grant (grand, large), Greathead, Cruikshank, Beaver, Hogg, and Partridge. From occupations came Archer, Clark, Clerk, Clarkson (son of a clerk), Bond, Bonds, Bound, Bundy (bondman); and from placenames came Wallace (man from Wales), Allington, Murray, Hardes, Whitney (places in England), Fields, Holmes, Brookes, Woods (from micro-toponyms).
Many family names come from the father’s surname. In England, the newly created surname was usually formed by adding “son” to the name. The male surnames were formed from the father’s given name or any of its variants. Thus, there is not only the form Richardson but also Dickson, Dixon, Dickinson; and there are Henryson, Harrison, Henderson; Gilbertson, Gibson; and Gregson, Grigson.
Some English names were formed with a prefixed “Fitz” such as FitzRandolph or Fitzgerald. This practice goes back to Norman French fis (son). In contrast to the English, the Scottish formed their surnames by a prefixed Mac or Mc (McCloy), the Irish with O (O’Riley) or Mc or Mac, and the Welsh with P- (Powell ‘son of Howel’).
The development of family names also came from a male’s place of residence or in some cases, his occupation. For example, a butcher, mason, or baker might have taken the surname, Booher, Mason, or Baker.
Did you know that the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church does not even use his real name? He will, upon becoming a pope, choose a single name, sometimes associated with his intentions, for example, Pope Paul VI chose the name Paulus because of St. Paul’s missionary activities and travels.
I could not end without mentioning that the North American Indians who did not accept English names now use the English translation of their names as last names (which sometimes are not hereditary)—e.g., David Youngblood, Mary Red Bird, or Ray Silver Fox.
Lastly, in some countries, such as Russia, the surname varies according to the sex of the child receiving it. Sons receive a patronymic ending in -ovich (e.g., Ivanovich) and daughters a form ending in -ovna (e.g., Ivanovna). A similar situation holds true in Norway.
Now I’d like to offer the transliterations of some common surnames in Doddridge County and what they mean when available:
Adams: is a common surname of English and Scottish origin, derived from the given name Adam. Some common related surnames are Addams and McAdam/MacAdam.
Beamer: An English occupational name for a trumpeter, Middle English bemere (Old English bēmere, bīemere). Also an Americanized form of German Boehmer or Bäumer.
Borror: Borror is a surname almost exclusively found in the United States where it was adopted by German immigrants as the Americanized spelling of the German occupational surname Bohrer.
Cain: While the claim that some Cains are Manx, very few Manx Cains have emerged thus far. Those that have are of Viking origin. And no English Cains, but perhaps the English Cains are of Irish origin anyway. Some of those from the major English Cain population Hampshire seem to have Irish connections.
Calhoun: A masculine name of Scottish origin, derived from the surname Colquhoun, also found in Ireland. Meaning “from the narrow woods,” Calhoun is a surname-turned-first name that breathes life into any sentence.
Campbell: A Scottish surname —derived from the Gaelic roots’ cam (“crooked”) and beul (“mouth”)—that had originated as a nickname meaning “crooked mouth” or “wry mouthed.” Clan Campbell, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans, traces its origins to the ancient Britons of Strathclyde.
Cunningham: Is most often Scottish. It’s chiefly a geographic surname and refers to those who have ancestors that originate in the area of Cunningham, North Ayrshire. The traditional origins of the clan are placed in the 12th century. The chiefs of the Clan Cunningham supported Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Davis: A surname of English and Welsh origin. As an English surname, it may be a corruption of Davy or a reference to King David in the Old Testament.
Dodd: This surname may also be derived from the Old English word “dydrian”, in East England which means deceiver or rascal, or from the word “dod”, which means to make bare or to cut off. The application of the name Dodd is obvious in the former case, while the nickname would denote a bald person in the latter case.
Douglas: Occasionally spelled Douglass is a Scottish surname. It is thought to derive from the Scottish Gaelic dubh glas, meaning “black stream”. There are numerous places in Scotland from which the surname is derived. The surname has developed into the given name Douglas.
Ferguson: A boy’s name of Scottish, Irish, and Gaelic origin. This ancient surname has a storied history, and means “son of Fergus,” “son of the angry one,” “supreme man,” or “highest choice.” It is an Anglicization of the Scots Gaelic surname Macfhearghus and might serve as a nice reminder of the baby’s heritage.
Gibson: A surname of Scottish origin. The name is derived from a patronymic form of the common medieval name Gib, which is a short form of Gilbert. Variant forms of the surname include Gibsoun, Gipson, Gibbson, Gibbons, Gilson, Gibb, Gibbs and Gibby amongst others.
Glaspell: A surname of German origin and derived from a word that means ‘glass maker. ‘ It likely dates back to a time when glass makers were known for their profession. Glaspell families likely lived in Europe before arriving in North America in the 1700s.
Harris: The origin of this surname is British and Irish. It’s the 23rd most common name in England, and the 21st most common in the United States of America. The surname Harris denotes a ‘son of Harry/Henry’ and originated mostly in the 1300s.
Heaster: Borrowed from the biblical name Esther, Hester means “star.” The name Hester has many down-to-earth definitions, too, and is said to stem from the Middle German word heister, meaning “beech tree.” Whether the baby is set to navigate the solar system or nourish the soil, you can bank on Hester.
Knight: This surname is English. It derives from the Middle English ‘kniht’ and the Anglo-Saxon ‘cniht’. Knight is an occupational surname but may not always be applied to those who have been given a knighthood and their descendants.
Leggett: English and Scottish: occupational name from Middle English legat, legate ‘delegate, ambassador, deputy’ (Old French legat), Latin legatus ‘one who is appointed or ordained’. English: variant of Legard, especially in Sussex, perhaps through the confusion of the two names. Meaning: one who is sent, delegate. Leggett as a boy’s name is of Old French origin, and the meaning of Leggett is “one who is sent, a delegate”.
McCloy: McCloy, MacCloy or MacLoy is a Scottish surname. It is believed to have the same origins as MacLowe and MacLewis. This group of surnames are generally believed to be an offshoot of the Fullarton clan of Ayrshire – that is, a Lewis Fullarton mentioned in records from the reign of King Robert III of Scotland
McClure: A surname with several origins. One origin of the name is from the Scottish Gaelic MacGilleUidhir, and Irish Mac Giolla Uidhir, which means “son of the pale one” or “son of the cold one”.
McCormick: This surname originated in Ireland, Munster and later Scotland from the Irish given name. Spelling variations: Cormack, MacCormack, McCormack, McCormick, MacCormick, Carmack, Cormac, Cormach, Cormich and Cormiche. It comes from the first name of the original bearer.
MacDonald: The surname is an Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic MacDhòmhnaill or Dòmhnallach. The name is a patronym meaning ‘son of Dòmhnall’. The personal name Dòmhnall is composed of the elements domno ‘world’ and val ‘might rule’.
MacDougall: MacDougall or MacDougal (see also McDougall) is a common Scottish surname that can refer to several individuals, localities, or things named for individuals with this surname. The name is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic Mac Dhùgaill, meaning “Son of Dougal”.
McGill: McGill, MacGill, Macgill, and Magill are surnames of Irish and Scottish origin, an anglicization of Gaelic Mac and Ghoill meaning “son of the foreigner”.
McIntyre: McIntyre, McEntire, MacIntyre, McAteer, and McIntire are Scottish and Irish surnames derived from the Gaelic Mac and their meaning “son of the Craftsman or Mason”, but more commonly cited as “son of the Carpenter.” It is common in Ulster and the highlands of Scotland, found in Ireland mostly in counties.
Murray: Murray is of Gaelic-Scottish etymological origin [according to Wiki] the surname Murray was originally a localized Scottish name derived from the region now called Moray. The Gaelic-native Irish version is the anglicized form of the name Muireach, a contracted form of Muireadhach.
Neely: NEELY is reduced form of the Irish surname McNeely. The Scottish (Galloway) and northern Irish origins of McNeely are from an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac an Fhilidh ‘son of the poet’. This surname means Son of Champion, or passionate. From the surname, McNeely (Son of Neal).
Powell: A surname found often in England, but with very deep Welsh roots (it is still found often across Wales and the English border regions). Powell comes from the patronymic tradition of Wales and refers to someone who is the son or descendant of Hywell or Howell.
Richards: Is thought to be English and Welsh, being found in documents dating back to the 1300s. The origin of the Richards surname is patronymic and refers to someone who is the son or descendant of a person named Richard.
Stutler: This surname has Germanic origins. Forensic genealogists have traced the roots back to the Grand Duchy of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is thought that the first Stutler families in the United States arrived in the late 1700s and were probably of Mennonite or Amish descent.
Sweeney: Is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Suibhne meaning “son of Suibhne”. The Gaelic personal name Suibhne was originally a byname meaning “pleasant” or “well-disposed” and is associated with Clan Sweeney.
White: Has several origins, most often it is a descriptive name relating to someone with white or blonde hair, clothing, or complexion. In Scotland, it can also be an anglicization of the Gaelic ‘MacGillebhain’, meaning ‘son of the fair Gillie’. It may have been under this form that the ancestors of the Whites of today forged a close kinship with the proud Scottish clans of Lamont and MacGregor.
Time and space do not allow me to list a full description of these and other names. I hope those of you who are interested in this type of research will enjoy discovering the history of your own family surname story.
God Bless
Patricia Richards Harris