Nicknames and Surnames; Neglected Origins of Family Names, Especially Surnames Derived from Inn Signs

Abstract

Surnames come from more diverse sources than are recognized in the four categories set out by Elsdon Smith (in his New Dictionary of American Family Names). Among these are surnames from women's given names and occupations as well as from men's and, especially, surnames not only from personal nicknames but also from the nicknames of places and inn signs.