WHAT'S IN A NAME:

WHAT'S IN A NAME:

CHANGES THROUGH THE YEARS

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As is probably the case in any family, numerous name changes are found interspersed throughout the various twigs and branches of my family tree. Sometimes the name changes have been deliberate, due to adoption or other circumstances. More often, however, the reason for these changes is the fact that the dictionary (something we take for granted today as being the standard for all spelling) was not in wide use until the mid-1800s. Thus, spelling was a pretty haphazard affair. In earlier times, names (and indeed any words) were spelled as they sounded, according to the abilities of the listener, and were not often written down either, so that the changes sometimes occurred in a similar fashion to the child's game of “Telephone” (for instance, one person says something to another, who repeats it to a third person, who tells someone else, and so on). By the time that word or message reaches the tenth or twelfth person, it's very possible it is not still exactly the same message as it was originally!

To try to clarify things a bit in regard to our family, I've listed some of the name changes below, along with an explanation of the change, insofar as I know it.

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ACKLEY

Surnames in general came about to better identify the populace, and were usually based on place names, occupations, or the name of the father. In this case, “Ackley” stems from a place name, “Oakleigh,” which means “Oak Woods.” Thus, someone named “Ackley” would be “one who came from Oak Woods.” The earliest instance of this name in our family is Hugh de Hackluite (“Hugh of Hackluite”…), ca. 1340, in England. Other early variations in the spelling of “Ackley” which are found on our Family Tree are Hackley and Hagley, before the name settled into its present day spelling of “Ackley” in the 1600s. I think one can easily see the logical progression over the years from “de Hackluite” to “Ackley.” Other possible variations in spelling for “Ackley” include Acklie, Akley, Oakley, Ackerly, and Eackley. The name also has equivalents in other languages. For instance, in Dutch it would be “Tryder” and in French it would be “Duchesne.”

BARNES/HOGAN

Originally, the Barnes family surname was "Hogan." The change to "Barnes" took place with the adoption of Henry Hogan (father of Cassius McDonald Barnes) by Gideon Barnes. Thereafter, "Henry Hogan" was known as "Henry Hogan Barnes."

Nothing is currently known about any of the Hogan ancestors, and that name has died out on our family tree.

As for the origins of the name of "Barnes," some authorities say it was originally spelled "Bairnie," taking its meaning from the Norse word "bjorne" which means "warrior," and was first given to its bearer for prowess on the field of battle.

Other authorities state the more obvious explanation of the name, however, saying it was first given to those who lived near or in a barn. Still others say that it derives from the word "bairn," Scottish for "child," and was originally used as a nickname.

Spelling variations most often seen are Barne, Bern, Berne, Bairn, Bairne, Berns, Bernes, Bairns, Bairness, Barneis, Barns and, of course, Barnes.

It is thought that there were members of the Barnes family in England at the time of the Norman Conquest, although there appears to have been a general named Barnes in the service of William the Conquerer when he entered England in 1066.

BARTLETT

The name “Bartlett” is reported to go back to the days of Charlemagne. A son of Charlemagne's sister, Bertha, was named “Berthelot” (a diminutive of his mother's name), and the child became a favorite of the great Emperor. As an adult, this Berthelot was murdered during a chess tournament, which actually came about as the result of a complicated scheme of revenge on the part of Berthelot's chess opponent, Raynard. Angry words were exchanged over the outcome of the game, and Raynard first hit Berthelot on the head with the chessboard. When Berthelot then fell to the ground, Raynard drew his sword and stabbed him in the head, killing him. The three left-handed gloves on the Bartlett coat-of-arms today are a symbolic reference to this murder.

Berthelot left several sons, and they then became known as “de Berthelot” (or “of Berthelot”), as did their descendants, who lived in various locations throughout France until 1066, when we come to Adam de Berthelot. Adam was a minor nobleman sworn at the time to serve Guido de Brionne as his personal esquire. Guido de Brionne and his entourage were among those to participate in the Norman invasion of “William the Conqueror,” which thus brought the first “Bartlett” to England. Early records show that Adam de Berthelot was among the first of these Normans to be given land in England, receiving 6000 acres along the River Arun in Sussex, including the hamlet of Stopham, after which his estate was named.

Reportedly, Adam de Berthelot's favored status stemmed from the fact that his family and that of the new "King William" were neighbors back in France. For whatever reason, Adam's name was inscribed on the walls of the Abbey at Hastings that the new King had built. Up until the time of the Norman invasion, William was known, of course, as “Guillaume.” It was on this “Roll of Honor” inscribed on the Abbey walls that that spelling was changed by the Anglo-Saxon scribes from “Guillaume” to “William,” and the spelling of Adam de Berthelot's name was changed there as well. It was at that point that “de Berthelot” became “de Bartelot.” Thereafter, the name underwent a few further evolutions, until finally it became “Bartlett,” the version used today by our family.

DE LA NOYE/DELANO

The Delano lineage in our Family Tree reportedly begins back in the 12^th century, with Arnulphe de Franchimont (this lineage is unproven, however). Several generations later, an early version of the actual "Delano" name is first seen, with the marriage of Jean de Franchimont and Mahienne de Lannoy, ca. 1310. Philippe DeLaNoye brought the name to the New World when he came to Plymouth Colony aboard the FORTUNE in 1621. Philippe and his sons gradually left the “ye” off the end of their surname, making it “Delano,” the spelling used by our family today.

Other early versions of the name (some of which are still in use today) include Delauny, Delanoy, Dillanoe, Dillnoe, Dilnow, and Dillino.

DOWNS/DOWNES

The addition of the “e” to the family name of “Downs” took place as a result of a misspelling on the birth certificate of Charles H. Downes, father of my maternal grandmother, Hazel Delano Downes Ackley.

FEIGENBAUM/FENTON

The Fenton surname originally was "Feigenbaum." In the 1940s "Feigenbaum" was changed to "Fenton" at the request of Scott's mother, Barbara Ellen Weinstein Fenton.

GORHAM

The Gorham family name is of French ancestry. It is spelled variously as Gorham, Goarum, Gorum, Gorome, Groom, and Groome.

HUBBARD

The Hubbard name is sometimes seen as "Hobart" and is actually a corruption of the name "Hubert," derived from the Anglo-Saxon "hiewe" (color, form, beauty) and "beort" (bright). The name dates back to the first invasion of the Danes into England in 866, when King Hubba, the Danish King, landed on the coast of Kent.

HURLBURT

The Hurlburt name was originally "Hollybut."

HUSS

"Huss," the surname of the German family of Elizabeth Huss Noonan, my great-great-grandmother, was originally spelled with an umlaut over the "u." Thus, the English translation of the name sometimes spells it "Huss," sometimes "Huess," sometimes any of a number of different ways, making the search for information about this family all the more difficult!

KVALAH/WALLACE

This name change took place at Ellis Island.

PENNIMAN

This name is from the Welsh "pen-y-mon," or "top of the mountain."

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