The American Melting Pot

America, "the melting pot," has Anglicised, in whole or in part, a vast number of foreign names in order to make surnames. Sometimes this is deliberate; sometimes the result of confusion. Probably more than one Johnson—the son of John—was originally a Scandinavian Jensen, or a Russian Ivan-of. Likewise, all the Lees may not be from Nature's meadows. In some instances they come from Levy, or Lewis, or perhaps some other source.

Another present day orthographic confusion concerned with Grove and Grave, which come from different sources and should not be interchanged. Grove is a place name. Grave is usually occupation or official. If a surname happens to be the name of a country, county, town, or village it was usually acquired when the locality was left, as in the case of our imaginative Mr. Tom London who left London and went to Liverpool. Small features of the landscape such as bridge, or hill, gave us surnames derived from one's place of residence. These local, or place surnames may range in origin from a country, or plant. The points of the compass are today disguised - Norris, Sotheran, Easter-ling, and so forth.

Some of our most popular name-derived places include Moore, Scott, Hall, Wood, Green. Variants of Moore include the Scotch Muir. In combinations we find Whitmore and Densmore. Moor, however, may be official. Dean meant a glade or valley in the wood. Today we find Deehan, Dryden, Bradden, Snowden, Denner, Denman, Borden, Cowden, and Gordon. A Gore was a triangular bit of land. Kerr and Carr are forms for marshy land—for Marsh. Whit marsh is popular. We also have Heath. A small wood was called Strode or Straud. People living about such a region acquired the names of Atwood, Wood side, Underwood, Westwood and the French Dubois, to mention a few.

The Forester who looked after the Forest was also called the Woodward. This occupation appears in Wood-worth, and Foster. Walker may refer to a Forester, or it may refer to one who, like the Fuller and Tucker, did work in the manufacture of doth; a cloth-fuller. The Walkers, who were Foresters were assigned by the King, and were walkers within a certain space of ground assigned to their care. In the northern part of England Shaw was almost as common a word as wood itself. Holt was popular in the east and south. A broad Shaw gave us Bradshaw. We also have Belshaw. A Slade was an opening in the wood. From Hedge and Hedges we have Hayes, Haynes, Haw and Hawes, Hay and Hayden, and others.

By: davidbunch

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Other Articles: fbi agent salary Who is hiring in my Area? Adecco employment agency