American Language (108 page)

85
In Berlin, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. IX, p. 157,
Harry
is now monopolized by the Jews, and so are
Jacques
and
James
. All, it will be noted, are non-German names. But two old German names,
Ludwig
and
Julius
, are also greatly in favor. See N. Pulver-macher: Berliner Vornamen; Berlin, 1902.

86
On Naming the Boy, by Earl L. and Samuel G. Winer,
Zeta Beta Tau Quarterly
, Dec., 1926, p. 7.

87
I am indebted here to Mr. Hugh Morrison of New York, who lived long among Mexicans in the West. He says he knows one sensitive immigrant who changed his given-name of
Jesús
, to
Josú
“to escape smirks.”

88
I am indebted here to Mr. Peter L. C. Silveira, editor of the
Jornal Portugues
of Oakland, Calif., to Mr. Charles J. Lovell, of Pasadena, and to Mr. João R. Rocha, proprietor of
O Independente
, New Bedford, Mass. Mr. Lovell’s investigations show that among the
Sylvias
, a numerous Portuguese-American tribe, the four names,
Manuel, Joseph, John
and
Antone
, account for 47.3% of all males.

89
I am indebted here to Mr. George Stanculescu, editor of the
American Roumanian News
, Cleveland.

90
If he spelled it out it would probably cost him some votes. Years ago a Norwegian tramp-steamer, the
Björnstjerne Björnson
, named after the celebrated contemporary of Ibsen, used to trade to Baltimore. The stevedores, baffled by the name, reduced it to
Be-jesus Be-johnson
.

91
For aid here I am indebted to Mr. Ivar Vapaa, editor of
Industrialisti
, Duluth, Minn., and to Mr. Reino W. Soujanen, editor of
Walwoja
, Calumet, Mich.

92
I am indebted here to Mr. Emil Revyuk, editor of
Svoboda
, the Ukrainian daily of Jersey City, and to Mr. Vladimir Geeza, editor of the
New Life
, of Olyphant, Pa.

93
The Americanization of Czech Given-Names,
American Speech
, Oct., 1925. A list of “American” equivalents of Czech given names, apparently for the use of readers desiring to make changes, is printed annually in the Cesko-Americký Kalendář issued by
Katolík,
the Czech semi-weekly published by the Benedictine Fathers in Chicago. It is full of unconscious humors. Thus it gives
Patricius
and
Paddy
for
Vlastimil
but not
Patrick, Bess, Betsy
and
Betty
for
Alžběta
but not
Elizabeth
, and
Nell
and
Nelly
for
Helena
but not
Helen
.

94
In the same way the Lithuanians in America have developed
Džióvas
for
Joe
. See Einiges aus der Sprache der Amerika-Litauer, by Alfred Senn,
Sudi Baltici
(Rome), Vol. II, 1932, p. 47.

95
American Greek,
American Speech
, March, 1926. I am also indebted to Mr. T. D. Curculakis, of Athens.

96
I am indebted here to Mr. H. I. Katibah, editor of the
Syrian
World
.

97
Here I am indebted to Mr. Ernest Boyd.

98
Names of Graduates of the Carlisle Indian School, 1889–1913; Carlisle, Pa., 1914.

99
Private communication. See also Indian Personal Names from the Nebraska and Dakota Regions, by Margaret Kennell,
American Speech
, Oct., 1935.

100
Simon Newton’s study, summarized in the
World
Almanac for 1921, shows that
John
occurs 8280 in every 100,000 individuals,
William
7611 times,
James
4259,
Charles
4253, and
George
4171. Following come
Thomas
2710,
Henry
2366,
Robert
2303,
Joseph
2266,
Edward
1997,
Samuel
1628,
Frank
1570,
Harry
1112,
Richard
1027,
Francis
1003,
Frederick
1000,
Walter
970,
David
967,
Arthur
904,
Albert
862,
Bem-jamin
833,
Alexander
748,
Daniel
690, Louis 658,
Harold
531,
Paul 512, Fred
509,
Edwin
500 and
Andrew
485.
Raymond
is in forty-ninth place, with 244 occurrences,
Elmer
is sixty-first with 174,
Chester
in seventy-third with 131,
Harvey
in seventy-ninth with 122,
Milton
in ninety-fifth with 96. Rather curiously,
Washington
and
Marshall
are below
Homer
and
Luther
.

101
In the Driftway,
Nation
, Feb. 7, 1923.

102
I am indebted for part of this to Mr. Theodore Long, of Salt Lake City.

103
See Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature, by Charles W. Bardsley; London, 1880, p. 205
ff
.

104
In Defense of
Elmer
, New York
Herald-Tribune
(editorial) Jan. 18, 1935. In the Toronto
Saturday Night
, March 16, 1935, J. H. Simpson says that
Elmer
has now invaded Canada. Mr. Simpson also notes the popularity of
Earl
— a two-syllable word, like
fil-lum —
“in what might be termed the less sophisticated parts of the United States.” In these parts, he continues, “a peculiar custom is to hold husband-calling contests. One has to hear a Kansas farmer’s wife calling her
Earl
or
Elmer
to appreciate the depths to which a so-called Christian name can sink.”

105
The Geographic Board has decided that
Kenesaw
should be
Kennesaw
, but the learned judge sticks to one
n
.

106
For this I have to thank Mr. William J. Foote, of the Hartford
Courant
.

107
Dr. Phillips tells me that his given-name is the surname of some of his father’s relatives. His father also bore it. The
Z
Barney
family, once well-known in Chautauqua county, New York, is now extinct there. There is a tradition that the
Z
is roughly equivalent to the
Mac
in Gaelic names, but of this nothing is known certainly. C. L’E. Ewen, in A History of the Surnames of the British Isles, says (p. 379) that
zeu
appears as an element in some Cornish names, signifying black. It has
deu, sew
and
sue
as variants.

108
Private communication, July 22, 1935. Mr. Basshe has since informed me that his first child has been named
Emjo
likewise.

109
It stands in forty-second place on the Newton list, with 314 occurrences to every 100,000 individuals.

110
In
Claude
and
Percy, American Speech
, April, 1928, Howard F. Barker quotes the following from an unidentified issue of the
Christian Science Monitor
(Boston): “Captain Claude S. Cochrane, commander of the
Bear
and associated with its later adventures, will leave his old ship and go North in command of the Bering Sea patrol-force.… It is said by those who know that he is the only man afloat in the Coast Guard who could afford to admit the name of
Claude.
”

111
Language of the Southern Highlanders,
Publications of the Modern
Language Association
, Vol. XLVI, No. 4, p. 1313.

112
It might profit some aspirant to the Ph.D. to investigate the nicknames prevailing among boys. John Brophy and Eric Partridge say in Songs and Slang of the British Soldier, 1914–1918; London, 1930, that every British soldier named
Taylor
was nicknamed
Buck
, and that the following were also almost universal:
Darky
or
Smudge
for
Smith, Nappy
for
Clark, Pedlar
for
Palmer, Tug
for
Wilson, Spud
for
Murphy, Dolly
for
Gray
and
Dusty
for
Miller
. When I was a boy in Baltimore,
c
. 1890, every youngster whose father was a physician was called
Doc
, and any boy whose father had any other title got it likewise. Every
Smith
was
Smitty
. Skinny boys were called
Slim
, fat ones were
Fats
, and short ones were
Shortie
. In my gang an extraordinarily obese boy bore the majestic name of
Barrel
.

113
A distinction seems to be growing up between the use of Roman and Arabic numerals. The latter tend to be reserved for individuals in the direct line of descent. Thus, John Smith
3rd
is the son of John Smith,
Jr.
, who was the son of John Smith. But John Smith
II
may be a nephew of either John Smith or John Smith, Jr. However, these lines are not yet clearly marked. In the Groton School Catalogue for 1934–35 there are, among 180 boys, 6 II’s, 9 III’s and 51 Jr.’s.

114
Christian Names in the Cumber-lands, by James A. Still,
American Speech
, April, 1930.

115
Christian Names in the Blue Ridge of Virginia, by Miriam M. Sizer,
American Speech
, April, 1933.

116
Stunts in Language,
English Journal
, Feb., 1920, p. 92; Blends,
Anglistische Forschungen
, heft 42, p. 16.

117
Christian Names,
American Speech
, Oct., 1933.

118
The Texas specimens are from a list of high-school students competing in interscholastic games and debates at the University of Texas, May 4, 5 and 6, 1922.

119
The Sideshow, Providence
Journal
, May 29, 1935.

120
List of Qualified Voters of Talladega County, Ala., Sylcauga
News
, April 25, 1935.

121
This last is the given-name of a lady professor in the University of California. Apparently her parents were fond of the California poppy (
Eschscholtzia californica
). I am indebted here to Mr. Henry Madden of Palo Alto, to Dr. H. E. Rollins of Cambridge, Mass., to Miss Esther Smith of Lonaconing, Md., and to Mr. H. L. Davis.

122
Christian Names,
American Speech
, Oct., 1933.

123
Christian Names in the Cumber-lands,
American Speech
, April, 1930.

124
Christian Names in the Blue Ridge of Virginia,
American Speech
, April, 1933.

125
The only inquiry into early Negro names that I am aware of has been made by Miss Blanche Britt Arm-field, of Concord, N. C., who has kindly placed her observations at my disposal. From Southern newspapers of the period from 1736 to the end of the Eighteenth Century (chiefly notices of runaway slaves) she has unearthed
Annika, Boohum, Boomy, Bowzar, Cuffee, Cuffey, Cuffy, Habella, Kauchee, Mila, Minas, Monimea, Pamo, Qua, Quaco, Qua-mana, Quamina, Quash, Quod, Yonaha
and
Warrah
, and in the files of Catterall’s Judicial Cases, running from 1672 to 1848, she has found
Ails, Ama, Anaca, Aphnah, Cato Sabo, Cavannah, Comba, Con-der, Cotica, Cuffy, Cush, Dunke, Grizzy, Guela, Isom, Juba, Liceta, Limus, Matha, Mealy, Miley, Minda, Mingo, Mood, Moos a, Mozingo, Naneta, Paya, Quash, Quashey, Quay, Quico, Quomana, Sabany, Sambo, Sauny, Sawney, Seac, Silla
,
Syphax, Tamer, Temba
and
Tenah
. Some of these were probably Indian rather than Negro names. Others were of French or Spanish origin.
Mingo
was the name of an Indian tribe, and it survives as a place-name.
Juba
was the name of two Numidian kings who played parts in the contest between Pom-pey and Julius Caesar, but it is also the name of a river in Africa.