There are two different origins from which this stem might be derived, A.S. _brego_, king, ruler, and A.S. _bracan_, to break, subdue, crush, the former being perhaps preferable upon the whole. There are but very few names in Old German, and Foerstemann does not make any suggestion as to the origin.
A.S. Braeg (found in Braegeshale), Bracca (found in Braccanheal). O.G.
Brachio, Thuringian, sixth century. Eng. Bragg, Brackie, Bray, Pray.
Ending in _en_, p. 27.
A.S. Bregen (found in Bregnesford). Eng. Bragan, Bracken, Brain.
Ending in _el_, prob. diminutive.
A.S. Brakel (found in Brakelesham). Eng. Breakell.
_Patronymic._
Eng. Bracking.
_Compounds._
(_Had_, war?), A.S. Breged (found in Bregedeswere)--Eng. Brackett.
(_Man_, vir), Eng. Brakeman, Brayman (Mod. G. Brackmann, French Braquemin). (_Wine_, friend), A.S. Bregowin (Archbishop of Canterbury)--Eng. Brewin.
LORD, LORDING.
We may take the above to be the same as an A.S. Lorta and Lorting, p.
100. And whatever may be the origin, it is certainly not A.S. _hlaford_, Eng. "lord." There are two isolated names in the _Altdeutsches Namenbuch_, Laurad and Lorad, both seventh century, of which the Anglo-Saxon name seems not improbably to be a contraction. The word concerned might be A.S. _lar_, lore, learning, Old North. _laerdr_ (larad?), learned. Stark however seems to take Laurad and Lorad to be Celtic. But in the genealogy of the sons of Woden in the _Edda_ of Snorro occurs the name Loride, which, though Snorro's names are not always trustworthy, seems to point to the existence of an ancient Teutonic name corresponding with those in the _Altdeutsches Namenbuch_, and so far to favour the derivation which I have suggested.
STUDD, STOTT, STOUT, STUTTER, STODDART, STUDEARD. STITT, STEED, STADD, STIDOLPH.
We find Anglo-Saxon names to account for all the names of the former of these two groups, viz., Stut, Stuter (_her_, warrior), and Stutard (_hard_, fortis). The word concerned does not seem to have anything to do with Eng. "stout," which seems to have lost an _l_, and to have been originally _stolt_. The group is no doubt parallel with the second group, which is more distinctly represented in Old German names, and which may be referred to O.N. _stedia_, firmare, _staddr_, constitutus, A.S. _stide_, _stith_, firm, steadfast; our Stidolph corresponding with an O.G. Stadolf, and a Stithuulf in the _Liber Vitae_.
FOGG, FOGGO, FUDGE, FEW.
There are Old German names Focco and Fucco, for which Foerstemann proposes O.N. _fok_, flight. And there is a Fuca, rather probably a corresponding name, on Roman pottery. Among the Anglo-Saxons we have Focingas, early settlers in Kent. Also Focga and Fucg, deduced from place-names, p. 99. Foerstemann seems to take this as the stem on which is formed _fugal_, fowl, bird.
FLAGG, FLACK, FLECK, FLUCK, FLY, FLEA, FLEW.
The Fleccingas are among the early settlers inferred by Mr. Kemble. And there are also Anglo-Saxon names Flegg, Flecg, and Flogg, deduced from place-names, p. 99. The name Floki, of a Northman in the _Landnamabok_, also comes in here. There is also another Northman called Flugu-Grimr, "Fly or Flyer Grim," a kind of inverted surname. The origin may be taken to be A.S. _fleogan_, O.N. _fliuga_, to fly. And this group may be taken to be fundamentally parallel with the last.
CLEAN, CLINE, KLYNE.
There is a Clen in the genealogy of the Merovingian kings, and there is perhaps an A.S. Clena to be deduced from the place-names Clenanford, Clenancrundel, &c. It may probably be from A.S. _clene_, clean, pure.
"The original sense seems to have been bright."--_Skeat_. This may probably be the sense in names.
SWEARS, SWEARING, SWIRE, SQUIRE, SQUARE, SQUAREY, SQUIRRELL.
The stem _swar_, _swer_, in O.G. names, is referred by Foerstemann to O.H.G. _suari_, weighty, important, Goth. _swers_, honourable. There is an A.S. Sweor found in a place-name, p. 102, and there is an O.G.
Suaring corresponding with our Swearing. Also a Suara on Roman pottery, which I take to be German, and to represent the stem of which Suaring is a patronymic. I take Squire and Square to be phonetic corruptions of Swire and Swear, and Squirrell to be properly Swirrell, a diminutive.
LUMB, LUMP, LUMPKIN.
Lumbe is also a present German name, and seems to be the same as an O.G.
Lumpe, which Stark takes to be a contraction of some compound name, perhaps Lundbert. Lump and the diminutive Lumpkin are from _Suffolk Surnames_, and may be German and not English.
KNELL, NELLY, NILL, KNELLER.
Of the Cnyllingas, settled in Northamptonshire, I find no further trace in Anglo-Saxon times, nor anything to correspond in Old German names.
The name is also a very uncommon one at present, the above Knell, Nelly, and Nill being all taken from _Suffolk Surnames_, though Knell at all events was an English name. Kneller, as the name of the painter, is of Dutch origin; it seems to be a compound from this stem (_hari_, warrior). The origin may perhaps be found in O.N. _hnalla_, to beat.
KNAPP, KNAPPING, KNIBB, KNIPE, KNIPPING, NAF NAPP, NAPKIN, KNIFE, KNYVETT.
One of the oldest Low German names on record is Hnaf, mentioned in the "Traveller's Song," written, as supposed, about the fifth century. There is a corresponding O.G. Hnabi, eighth century, the origin being, no doubt, A.S. _cnapa_, _cnafa_, son, boy. To this may be placed our names Knapp, Napp, and the patronymic Knapping. (The name Naf, in _Suffolk Surnames_, may possibly not be English.) I also take the A.S. Cnebba[54]
to come in here, also Hnibba, found in Hnibbanleah (Hnibba's lea), and Nybba, found in Nybbanbeorh (Nybba's barrow), and so connect also our names Knibb, Knipe, and Knipping. Stark also brings in here the name Cniva, of a Gothic king of the third century, and Cnivida, also the name of a Goth, placed by Foerstemann to A.S. _cnif_, knife. If this be correct, our name Knife might also come in here, parallel with Knipe, and also Knyvet as probably a diminutive. Also Napkin, another diminutive = Germ. _knabchen_.
PIM, PYM.
The father of the Lombard king Rachis was called Pimo. There is also a Pymma about the tenth century in the _Liber Vitae_. As to the origin of the name, I am unable to offer any suggestion. It may be, as Stark opines, a contraction of some compound name.
WAMBEY, WAMPEN.
Wamba was the name of a West-Gothic king in the seventh century, and there was also a deacon of the same name a few years earlier. I do not know of it as an Anglo-Saxon name, but I suppose Scott must have had some authority for introducing it as the name of the jester in _Ivanhoe_. The only derivation that can be suggested is from the Goth.
_wamba_, belly, giving it the meaning of "paunchey." But it was not a nickname in the case of the Gothic king, for he bore it upon his coins, and it is difficult, as Stark observes, to suppose such a name for a king. Finding, however, on certain of his coins the variation Wanba, Stark is inclined to think that it may be a contraction of some name such as Wanbert. Was it by literary intuition that Scott pitched upon such a name for the jester, or did he know of its supposed meaning of "paunchey"?
The name may be represented in our Wambey, though it is perhaps quite as likely to be from some Danish place-name in _by_, such as Wanby or Wandby. Wampen, however, if there is such a stem, might be placed to it.
STRANG, STRONG, STRANK, STRANGWARD, STRANGWICK, STRINGLE, STRINGFELLOW.
There are two A.S. forms, _strang_ and _streng_, represented in the above. The only Anglo-Saxon names that I can find are a Stranglic dux in a charter of Ina, and a Streng, found in Strengesho, "Streng's grave-mound." Stranglic is the A.S. _stranglic_, strong, and looks like a sobriquet which had superseded his original name. Streng might be the same as far as it is itself concerned, but there is an O.G. Strangulf (_ulf_, wolf) which, along with our own names Strangward and Strangwick, strongly suggests an ancient baptismal name, and a formation in accordance with the Teutonic system. The last name, Stringfellow, must have been a sobriquet,--it probably represents a mediaeval Strengfelaw, and has been rather curiously corrupted, owing to the meaning of _streng_ not being recognised.
STRAY, STRAW, STRETCH, STREEK, STRAIN, STRICKETT, STRAIGHT.
Closely allied to _strang_ and _streng_ are A.S. _strac_ and _strec_, violent, powerful, brave, whence I take the above. The only ancient names to correspond are an O.G. Strago, ninth century, and Strocgo, eighth century. Strain and Straight represent respectively the forms Stragin and Stragget, formed with the endings in _en_ and in _et_ referred to in Chapter II.