Surnames from Baptismal Names. 
7 
diphthongal sound (i. e. before the fifteenth century), explains 
Rice, Price, Brice, Bryce, etc. The royal name of Tudor is a 
Welsh form of Theodore. 
The Old-English (Anglo-Saxon) personal names were aban¬ 
doned for the most part at the time of the Norman Conquest; 
Edward and Edmund were, perhaps, the most common ones that 
remained. Norman personal names, including many names of 
saints from the church calendar, now came into use. Hence, 
these are the source of our patronymic surnames. 
After the Norman Conquest the fashion of making pet-names 
out of common personal names became universal. We are all 
familiar with this tendency to-day; but nothing that we now 
know can give us any idea of the vast number of pet-forms 
which at that time were made from well-known personal names, 
or of the extent to which they were used. The diminutive and 
affectionate suffixes -ie or -y (still in use), -kin, -cock, -ot or 
-et, -on, -en or -in, were in constant use, and help us to unrid¬ 
dle many a strange-looking surname. Wills, Willy, Willis, 
Wilson, Wil(lia)mot, Willot, Willet(s), Wilkins, Wilkes, Wilk¬ 
inson, Wilcox(-cocks), Wilcoxson are all names which go back 
to different pet-forms of the name William. Hewett (Hugh), 
Collins (Col, from Nicholas), and Simpkins (Sim, from Simeon) 
are as plain as they are common. 
The fashion of making rhyming pet-forms will explain many 
more names. Rob, Bob, Hob, and Hob are derived in this way 
from Robert. Hence such names as Bobson, Hobbs, Hobson, 
Hopkins, Hobbs, etc., are as clear as Roberts and Robinson; 
and we must add to our list of common names derived from Will¬ 
iam, Bill, Bills, Billson, Gilson, etc. Ralph has many names con¬ 
nected with it through pet-forms, that are not at first clear, 
such as Rawson, Rawlin(g)(s), Randall, Rollins, etc.; and Rich¬ 
ard has some names that no one would at first thought assign 
to it, such as Rix, Rickson, Hixon (Hick’s son), Hickens, Hitch¬ 
cock. Bates, Batty, Bartlett, and many other forms go back to 
Bartholomew. 
Hrew, Warm (giving Warren, etc.), Paine, Ivo, and Hamon 
(giving Hammond) are some personal names that were common 
after the conquest,, but are now out of use. 
