28 



The Sire-uame has existed from the very earliest times. Its simplest 

 form was the addition of some word signifying " Son " to the father's 

 name, such as the Hebrew " Ben" in Beji-hadad, Ben-hassa.n, the Syriac 

 " Bar " (probably allied to our English bairn), in Bar-jona, son of Jonas, 

 Bar-jesus, J5ar-abbas, and Bar-nahas, or the Arabic Ibu. Among all 

 the eastern nations such Sire-names were common. Thus Mirza means 

 " Emirs Son," and Parysatis " of fairy race." 



In Greek these Sire-names were, as we all know, exceedingly com- 

 mon. We find them in such forms as Pelides, Atrides, Simonides, and 

 Heraclides ; and possibly many such names as Reagenes, Diogenes, and 

 Hermogenes may have had a similar origin. 



In Latin the numerous class of names ending in " ius," such as 

 PubKus, MarciJts, Juln(s, &c. are generally thought to be patronymics. 

 To these Camden adds such forms as Lucipor, Marcopor, i.e. Lucu 

 puer, and Marcu puer ; but in these combinations " puer " seems to 

 have meant " a slave." 



The ancient Celts had many forms of the patronymic. The one 

 most common among those who inhabited our own country, was pro- 

 duced by prefixing the word Ap — which appears to be an abbreviation 

 of the Celtic " Mab," a sou, and connected with the Gselic " Mac" — ^to 

 the father's name, as Ap Richard, Ap Hugh, Ap Evan. In this man- 

 ner a great number of the Welsh names of the present day have been 

 formed. But with our English tendency to abbreviation, we have in 

 very many cases dropped the initial vowel, so that instead of Ap 

 Richard we say Pritchard, Price, and Bryce, equivalent to Richardson 

 or Dickson ; in like manner, Ap Hugh has become Pugh, Ap Evan 

 Bevan, Ap Harry Parry and Barry, Ap Robert Probeit, and Ap 

 Howell Powell. 



Many curious and ridiculous stories are told about the tendency of 

 the Welsh to carry up their descent to an almost interminable point* 

 by means of these Aps ; but perhaps the best satire on this pride of 

 pedigree is that of the wit who describes cheese as being 



" Adam's own cousin-german by the birth — 

 Ap Curds, Ap Mili, Ap Cow, Ap Grass, Ap Earlh." 



Most of the modem Welsh surnames have been formed by the addi- 

 tion of an "s" (the sign of the genitive case) to the father's christian 

 name. Thus, Peter Williams meant Peter the son of William, and 

 was equivalent to our Peter Williamson or Wilson, David Johns to 

 our David Johnson or Jackson, and Davids to our Davison or Dawson. 



• The churc}i of Llangollen is dedicated to a saint, whose name, by these continuous 

 Aps, taltes up three lines of smnll print, and contains 21 letters of the alphabet three times 

 ovt-r. 



