454 A DISSERTATION ON THE 
tribes and people have had to modify it and speak 
it, that it is no wonder that not understanding its 
essential character, they should sometimes misun- 
derstand it, and apply their own terms to terms 
expressing the same idea. And what has been 
said, with respect to the name Dickinson, will 
also apply to many others, of like origin; spite of 
all the lax spelling and whims of families, on 
writing one common family name. The name of 
Irving, we have already had occasion to refer to ; 
besides its genuine form of Irving, it is met with 
as Irvin and Irwin. In some names, the ‘in’ 
forms a part of the father’s name, and then can- 
not either be taken or mistaken for a patronymic ; 
as for instance, Rob, Robson; Robin, Robinson ; 
Perkin or Parkin, Netherlandish for Peterkin, a 
diminutive of Peter, Parkinson: but this will be 
found the exception, not the rule: Tom, Tomson, 
Tom, Tomlin, Tomlinson, and many other names 
beside, will readily suggest themselves to the 
mind of any one who thinks at all on the subject 
according to this view. 
We have already stated, that certain names of 
persons, have been derived from the names of 
their first residences. Vice versa, we have now 
to consider whether certain names of places have 
