 |
Benedict Topics
02 The Name is Benedict |
 | |||
|
| |||
| |||
|
Benedict Topics Index |
Etymology Derived from the Latin benedictus, and later into Middle English, the name is an adjective meaning blessed, or holy one. As an English noun, the word benedict means "a married man, usually newly married, but especially one long a bachelor." In his comedy "Much Ado About Nothing", Shakespeare's character Benedick is a confirmed bachelor who marries Beatrice after a courtship which is a contest of wit. In Berlioz's two-act opera "Beatrice and Benedict," based on the short version of "Much Ado," the high-tempered protagonists reach an agreement to marry as a result of a spirited quarrel. Some English Naming Categories In the system of classifying English names (where, as examples, some are occupational, e.g. Smith, Taylor, Carpenter, Wright, Fletcher, and others are locational, e.g. Atwood, Hill, Field, Townes, etc.), the name Benedict is in the category of ecclesiastical names, such as Church, Priestley, Bishop, or Cross. In my own family, we have the marriage of Lemuel Benedict to Grace Hieronymus, bringing together two ecclesiastical names to produce, in translation, the interesting pairing: blessed-holy name. In early Fairfield County, Connecticut, our line also intermarries with another ecclesiastically named family: the St. John family. (A good source of information on the development of surnames is "A Study of Surnames" contained in Genealogical Research Methods and Sources, edited by Milton Rubicam, published by The American Society of Genealogists, 1960.) Primary Source: Saint Benedict In tracing the name Benedict through history, it is easy, of course, to find its use by clergy, who have taken the name of saints and popes. This usage primarily dates back to St. Benedict of Nursia, Italy, who lived from about the year 480 CE to about 547 CE. His name in early life is unknown. After living in a cave for three years in solitude, he emerged to be recognized as a holy man, and so to be called Benedict. He founded a monastic order that became known as the Benedictines. He was so much an inspiration that many of the later clergy adopted his name. Since the year 574 CE, and up to 1922, there have been 15 popes bearing the name Benedict*. There have been other Saints Benedict, as well, including St. Benedict Biscop, an English Benedictine abbot who lived from about 628 CE to 690 CE. In our own ancestral line is to be found Benedict, the Bishop of Quimper, a town in western France, living about 950; he was also Count of Cornouaille and an ancestor of the Dukes of Brittany. *NEWS ITEM: As of 20 April 2005, a new pope was elected who took the name Benedict XVI. Development of Our Surname Naturally, our main interest here is to trace the occurrence of the name as a surname, but the development of surnames took place over several centuries, beginning in about the 12th century. We find the early use of Benedict as a personal name gradually evolving into various other forms to be used as popular surnames, such as Benet and Benoit in France, and Bennet, Bennett, Benson and Benison in England. The Domesday Book of William I (about 1085) contains several references to persons called Benedict. The personal name Benedict is also found coupled with place names, such as Benedict de Pennington (Benedict of Pennington) in Cumberland (northwest coastal England) in 1185. These examples are indicative of the gradual development of names from the form "given name/ from or of/ a place". This device helped somewhat to identify and distinguish between individuals with similar given names. Norfolk, England: the Ancient Seat Later, we find the given name Benedict beginning to be associated with non-place names (usually the father's personal name, in the form "given name/ son of/ father's given name"), e.g. Reginald fil. Benedicti, co. Hunts, 1273, and Clemens fil. Benedicti, co. York, 1273 (both from the Hundred Roll of 1273); Benedictus Willeson, and Benedictus Colier, both found in the poll tax records of West Riding of Yorkshire in 1379. Benedict as a true surname (i.e., in the form "given name/ surname") was said to be "in general use in the reign of Edward II [1307-1327]; the ancient seat of the family was Norwich, England" [Holmes, Frank R.- Directory of Ancestral Heads of New England Families (1923)]. This is borne out by Bloemfield and Parkins, The History of Norfolk, who list an early George Benedick in County Norfolk (no date or town given, however). (This undated George Benedict may well have been either the grandfather or great-grandfather of Thomas Benedict, our immigrant ancester. We know they each lived in County Norfolk in that period. This shall be discussed further in the section relating to Thomas Benedict, the immigrant to America.) |
| |
|
This Update: May 2005 | |
