As one begins to search the origins of names, one discovers that there are several possibilities from which names have sprung. In the British Isles, first names were used for hundreds and hundreds of years and it wasn't until about the end of the 12 ^th century, that surnames began to become more common and about the end of the 13 ^th century, surnames became more or less "fixed".

First Names

Some first names I ran across that are now surnames are Albert, Alvord, Benjamin, Brick, Cain, Calvin, Clark, Dalby, Dale, Everett, Eugene, Frank, Foster, George, Gardner, Harvey, Harry, Iams, Ingram, Jack, James, Kerry, Kyle, Lambert, Leyland, Marvin, Murry, Norvell, Norton, Ormond, Osmond, Paul, Ralph, Richard, Rogers, Sidney, Sigebert, Simon, Thomas, Todd, Wade, William, Willy, etc. In German the first name Georg became a surname. Our Immigrant Ancestor George Woolsey's first name was sometimes spelled Georg by the old Dutch recorders in New Amsterdam.

Place Names

One possibility for surnames is as a " place " name. That is identifying someone by the name of the place or area (or even country) from which they came. Thus, we have Jean de Spaynge in the 1400´s to identify someone living in France, but who had come from Spain. His descendants use that form today in the United States, even though it was many hundred years ago that he decided to leave his home in Spain and then immigrated to France. His descendants went to Belgium, then to Canterbury, England, to London, and further immigrated to Virginia and Kentucky, to where most of the Despains in America today can trace their roots.

Place names have given many of us our surnames. Thomas by the Brooke becomes Thomas Brook. Richard, who lived under the hill, becomes Richard Underhill. Gregory, who lived at the little wood, becomes Gregory Littlewood. The name Whitaker is a place name, and although not a real common name, is found in almost every county in England. "Whit acre" or "white acre" refers to the alkali, chalk (such as the "White Cliffs of Dover") or white-covered ground common throughout England. So Thomas, who lived by the "white acres", or poor, unfarmed land, became Thomas Whitacre. Another early meaning of that name was the poor section of a graveyard, so someone whose father was buried in the pauper´s section of the cemetery may become known as Thomas White aker.

Names that I just picked out of the research I was doing in England include Shipmeadow, Slashham, Snetterton, Radcliffe, Ravengyngham, Redstone, Rocklande and Normandy.

These may all be too simplistic for what happened to 'fix´ surnames in our ancestors´ lives, but it is a beginning to help our understanding. Henry who lived by the hill in the town became Henry Hill, and because there are a lot of hills in the country, there became a lot of little Hills. Martin, who lived near the marsh, became Martin Marsh, and his children became little Marshes. Similarly, names such as those given to trees and plants, could become surnames, such as Ash, and Birch, and Cotton, and Oak, etc. And in addition to those, we have the names of animals, both wild and domestic, Fox, Bird, Robin, Sparrow, Hawk, etc. And let's not forget the seasons. We have Spring and Winter, Summer and Fall, Jack Frost, and the colors: Green and White, Brown and Black, ad inf. The German name Hahn means rooster.

Other names I found are Small, Prettyman, Petit, Peacock, Quick, Robins, Parret and Partridge. On 3 May 1593 at Woodton Parish Robert Battman married Anne Andrews. I was hoping she would have been a Robin but not so. Also were Hogg, Pigge, Goates, Ratchett, Rench and Skelton. A German name is Wolfsgruber, a place name.

Occupational Names

Another possibility for surnames is as an " occupational " name, or someone who is identified by the occupation of himself or his father. Probably the most common of these is the name "Smith". There were many workers in metal, so there were blacksmiths, silversmiths, nailsmiths, goldsmiths, in almost every area, so many became known as John the Smith, or John Smith. Francis Farmer, Broderick Butcher, Christopher Carpenter, Calvert Cooper, Douglas Driver, Ernest Edgeman, (a man who sharpens the edges of tools, such as axes, saws, etc. Our Whitakers in England for several generations were "edge tool grinders"), all English names, showing occupations. Edward Graves, Tim Tanner, James Lawyer, Godfrey Bookman. The list is almost endless. If we remember that we have powerful Teutonic beginnings in English history, the list could stretch out. For example, Jaeger for Hunter, and Koenig for King, and although these names, and others, are German in look and sound, could have been English for the last several hundred years.

Just a few of the occupational names I ran across are Cook, Shelfhanger, Shepherd, Plowman, Porter, Messinger, Farmer, Woodburner, Tinker (a tinsmith). German names are Benner, from old German benne , for a person who made baskets, or in Bender, a cooper or literally a "tight binder".

Nicknames

Nicknames are another possibility for the origin of surnames. "Nick" for Nicholas or St. Nick is a common nickname. Richard is a most popular English name and it has many shortened forms, Rick and Ritchie being two. Less commonly known is the shortened version Hick, another nickname for Richard, so we have all the derivatives of Hick: Hicke, Hicks, Hickerson, Higgenson, etc. The name Hickerson was commonly spelled that way but in the Southern United States, that was too harsh for their ears, so the name, spelled Hickerson, is commonly pronounced "Higgason". This name is an example of an English name that derived from the nickname of Richard, but could be thought of as a "patrynomic" name also. John, son of "Hick" (a nickname for Richard), becomes John Hickason, etc. This name is also found in the Scandanavian countries, but it is not a common name.

In researching the Genealogy and History of a German Colony, beginning in 1742, in Broad Bay, Maine, (now Waldoboro), I ran across some very interest names. The German name Waltz is a nickname for the given name Walter. The name Wunderer is a nickname, a person who does strange things or tricks. In the legends Wunderer was the name of huge men-eathers that chased virgins and were killed by Dietrich of Bern.

Physical Characteristics

Surnames were often adopted, either by a family or by common usage of their neighbors, by physical characteristics of an individual ancestor. So we have Samuel Small, George Grande, Peter Puff, Robert Ring, Thomas Tallman, and Sidney Short, Billy Bones, John Ruff, Solomon Schwartz (black) and Sam Smart. In German, the name Gross meant big or large. The opposite of that was Klein means "small" even in Germany today. One of the early settlers of Broad Bay was "Gross Mary", a widow of a German colonist, who cut prodigious amounts of firewood and dragged it to the riverside where it was loaded on to "coasters" and taken to Boston, thus keeping herself and family alive during one of the harshest winters in Maine, in the 1750's.

Patronymic Names

We think of patronymic names as belonging to the Scandinavian countries, which they rightly do, but many countries used patronymic names as their surnames. Perhaps the usage became more formalized in the Scandinavian countries. A patronymic name derives from the father´s name, so we have Jan Jenson, or Jan, son of Jens. Lars, son of John, become Lars Johnson and Thomas, son of Thomas becomes Thomas Thompson. A late example of this is from the Woolsey family in Utah and Arizona. Joseph Smith Woolsey married Mary/Maren Larsen/Nielsen, and the family confused the two names Larsen and Nielsen. Now this Mary was the daughter of Niels Larsen and Karen Christensen. The surnames had become 'more or less' fixed by this time and some of the family put her down as Mary Larsen, but the Scandanavian branch wrote her name as Mary Nielsen, or more accurately, Mary Nielsdotter, 'daughter of Niels.'

In New Testament times, Simon bar Jonah would mean Simon, son of Jonah. In Wales, a name would be William ap Williams, or William, son of William. In Scotland, the "O'Reilly" or "McDonald" are examples of patronymics.

Consider also what happens when a Dutch-speaking clerk tries to write down what he thinks he hears from an English-speaking citizen, or vice-versa. For example, here is what happens to that good old English name "Cornell" as interpreted by Dutch clerks and ministers: "Corneliszen, an example of patronymics"; "Cornelis"; "Corenwell"; "Carruwel"; Carmuwel". The Dutch in Holland and in New Amsterdam used a system of patronymics, but that is a study all of its own, and the following is taken from ON-LINE: The Olive Tree Genealogy by Lorine McGinnis Schulze:

The Dutch were much slower than the English in adopting surnames as we know them. Patronymics ended theoretically under English rule in 1687 with the advent of surnames, but not everyone followed the new guidelines. In the Netherlands, patronymics ended mostly (especially Friesland) during the Napoleanic period around 1811 when everyone had to register and select a family name.

The most common Dutch naming custom was that of patronymics , or identification of an individual based on the father's name. For example, Jan Albertszen is named after his father, Albert. Albertszen means "son of a man named Albert". The patronymic was formed by adding -se, -sen, or -szen . Daughters would very often have the ending -x , or -dr. added. For example, Geesjie Barentsdr. (Barentsdochter) is named after her father Barent.

An individual could also be known by his place of origin . For example, Cornelis Antoniszen, my 9 ^th great-grandfather, was known in some records as " van Breuckelen ", meaning "from Breuckelen" (Breuckelen being a town in the Netherlands). The place-origin name could be a nationality, as in the case of Albert Andriessen from Norway and my 9 ^th great-grandpa, originator of the Bradt and Vanderzee families - he is entered in many records as Albert Andriessen de Noorman , meaning the Norseman.

Thus we see naming differences over the generations: Albert's sons and daughters took the surname Bradt except for his son Storm, born on the Atlantic Ocean during the family's sailing to the New World. Storm adopted the surname Van Der Zee (from the sea) and this is the name his descendants carry.

An individual might be known by a personal characteristic : e.g. Vrooman means a pious or wise man; Krom means bent or crippled; De Witt means the white one. The most fascinating one I've seen is that of Pieter Adrianszen (Peter, s/o Adrian) who was given the nickname of Soo Gemackelyck (so easy-going) but was also known as Pieter Van Waggelen/Van Woggelum - his children adopted the surnames Mackelyck and Woglom .

Sometimes an occupation became the surname. Smit=Smith; Schenck=cupbearer, Metsalaer=mason. An individual might be known by many different 'surnames' and entered in official records under these different names, making research difficult unless one is aware of the names in use. For example, my Cornelis Antoniszen van slyke mentioned above, was known and written of under the following names:

1. Cornelis Antoniszen
2. Cornelis Teuniszen (Teunis being the diminuitive of Antony)
3. Cornelis Antoniszen/Teuniszen van Breuckelen
4. Cornelis Antoniszen/Teunisen van Breuckelen
5. Cornelis Antoniszen/Teuniszen Van Slicht (This is how he signed his name and might have been a heriditary family name based on an old place of origin)
6. Broer Cornelis (name given him by Mohawks)

Remember that there are tremendous variations in spelling of these names, and changes from Dutch to English record keeping in the New World affected the spelling even more.

Another thing to look for in searching the early records is to be aware of the different ways names might be pronounced in different areas, or how clerks might have written them down. For example, a boy might be registered as Jan "kiek in't Veld", and his father would sign with "Kijk in het Veld". "Iek in't Veld" is how it is said in the eastern dialect, "Kijk in het Veld" is how it is said in proper Dutch. The father could write it down properly, but he couldn't say it properly. The clerk at that time may have come from the West and just wrote down what he heard without translating it. If you were searching such a family, you would have to look for both lines.

You also have to be aware of the diminuitives of regular first names, because the patronymic might be formed from the normal name or it diminuitive. For example:

1. Antonis = Theunis/Teunis (patronymic of Antonisz or Theunisz)
2. Matthys = Thys/Tice (patronymic of Thyssen)
3. Harmanus = Harman or Manus
4. Denys = Nys (patronymic of Dennysen or Nyssen)
5. Bartolomeus = Bartol or Meese/Meus (patronymic of Meesen)
6. Cornelis = Krelis

There's more to Dutch naming systems of the 1600's than this, and two articles that are excellent are:

1. 1. Dutch Systems in Family Naming New York-New Jersey by Rosalie Fellows Bailey in Genealogical Publications of the National Genealogical Society May 1954, No. 12.

2. 2. New Netherland Naming Systems and Customs , by Kenn Stryker-Rodda, published in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record , Vol. 126, No. 1, Jan 1995, pp. 35-45. (End of article)

This is an ancient English personal name derived from the old Saxon words, wold-sey meaning a wooded lawn. After becoming a surname it was for a long time spelled Wulsey . The great sixteenth century Cardinal Wolsey was not the first of the name to attain distinction at Westminster. Almost six centuries before his time, flourished Saint Wulsey , the first abbot of Westminister, "...where...", says the historian, "he lived for many years, exemplary for his conversation, until his death, which happened Anno Domini 960. Then was his body buried in the same monastery; and the 26 day of September was kept by the citizens of London with great veneration of his miracle-working memory."

The name Woolsey belongs to one of a lesser-known type of surname changes: descending from a given name. So we have the given name Wulci becoming

We have not found the name Wolsey or Woolsey as a place name in Great Britain, although one writer suggested that Wulci derived from wold sey. This is an ancient English personal name derived from the old Saxon words wold-sey meaning a wooded lawn.

Here is another reference to wolves given by R. Lee Woolsey on his website which does not give a reference for it.

This website URL is http://www.wellsnv.com/woolsey/misc/woolsey.htm

However, it is believed by this writer that this applies to the name Wolseley, which is a different name altogether from Woolsey or Wolsey.

The Wolseys of Suffolk date from early Saxon times : they came not to England in the army of William the Conqueror. They were natives of the land; as tenants in capite they held lands in four distinct counties. In Saxon days they enriched religious foundations with land, for Wulsi of Brightwell is recorded to have endowed the house of the monks of Ely with three hides of land in Sutton to the honour of God and St. Etheldreda. A Wulsi held a large estate at Beodericsworth, now Bury St. Edmunds. Thither resorted Talebot, the prior, Herveus and Wlmero the sacristans, when the famous manuscript "Vita Martyrium et Miracula Sancti Edmundi Regis Angliae," was written in the 12 ^th century. For many centuries the family of Wolsey held possessions at Beccles and in the Lothingland hundred, and it is probable that the Wolseys of Ipswich (Suffolk County), were descendants of the Beccles family of that name.

In 1405, a John Wulsy (the name is more often written Wulcy, which was the Cardinal's customary spelling of the name) appears on the Court Rolls as holding land in Yoxford, and in 1410 his name occurs on the Court Rolls for Westwood Manor in Blythburg. One peculiarity of the family is the frequent adoption of the name John for its male members, so that John Wulcys at times became numerous enough to designate them John senior, John the middler, and John junior. It is a John Wulcy, the middler, whom we first find as holding a butcher's stall both at Dunwich and Blythburgh. When John Wulcy, senior, died in 1426, there was yet another John to maintain the name, le Myddeler, as well as an additional John who bore the significant name, John Wolcy, bastard. Robert and Thomas were other names adopted by the Yoxford and Blythburg Wolcys. Occasional entries within the manor rolls record the fact that, like the generality of copyholders, they found opportunities for the evasion of manorial rights, and found themselves amerced in fines for selling and brewing ale, baking horsebread, and other venal offences.

It seems that the Wulcys had to some great extent the monopoly of the butchers' trade in the Loes and Wilford hundreds; they were to be found at Campsey Ashe, Eyke, and Halesworth holding stalls within the butchery, and their connection with the Yoxford family is to be noted from entries within the rolls in the reign of Henry VI. [There were many other Wulcys living in Ipswich and Suffolk during the time of the Cardinal.]

One of the most famous, or infamous, as one considers the name, was probably Thomas Wolsey or Thomas Wulcey, born about 1471, at Ipswich, in Suffolk County, England. He distinguished himself at Magdalen college, Oxford, where he received the degree of B.A. at the age of fifteen. He came to the attention of the marquis of Dorset, and soon after attracted the interest of Henry Dean, archbishop of Canterbury, who made him his domestic chaplain. After the death of Dean he served in the same capacity. Sir John Nanfan spoke of Wolsey in such favorable terms that Henry VII made him chaplain to the royal household, and at Henry VII´s death, was introduced to Henry VIII by Fox, Bishop of Winchester. Wolsey served Henry VIII so well that he soon acquired first place in Henry VIII´s favor and became uncontrolled minister. His progress and advancement was rapid.

He was made rector of Torrington, canon of Windsor, registrar of the garter, prebendary and dean of York, dean of Hereford, and precentor of St. Paul´s, London. In the expedition to France, in 1513, he attended the king, to direct the supplies and the provisions for the army, and on the taking of Tournay;, in Flanders, he was appointed bishop of that city. In 1514 he was advanced to the see of Lincoln, and eight months after was translated to that of York; the next year he was made cardinal of St. Cicilia, and a few months after lord chancellor, on the resignation of Warham. At the famous interview between Henry and Francis I. in 1520, at the field of the Cloth of Gold, Wolsey was present, and displayed all his magnificence. Here the Cardinal´s vain ambition takes hold of him and he aspires to become Pope under the sponsorship of the emperor Charles V., to favor which he involved Henry in a war with France. Absolute at home, where his expenses exceeded the revenues of the crown, he was courted and flattered by foreign princes. Unable or unwilling to support Henry in Henry´s determination to divorce Catharine, Wolsey lost Henry´s patronage and support. Henry, indignant at his conduct, stripped him of his honours in 1529, and caused him to be impeached in parliament by a charge of forty-four articles. He was banished to York where he was arrested and ordered to appear in London. He traveled slowly and expired on the 28 ^th of Nov 1530 in the fifty-ninth year of his age. He was buried at Leicester, in the abbey of St. Mary de Pratis. It must be acknowledged that Wolsey was a man of great abilities; well acquainted with the learning of the times; sagacious as a politician, and well versed in the intrigues of courts. Notwithstanding his vices and his ambition, his schemes for the promotion of literature in the nation were noble and well concerted. He also founded a school at Ipswich.

Certain of his detractors boldly state that "Wolsey, a son of a butcher, prolifigate and vain" left an illegitimate son and daughter. Other say that he had children who left posterity, but I have been unwilling to take the time to fully research this problem. I think that it will be sufficient for me to say that our early researchers, having only a few English history books at their disposal, found Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in them, and concluded that our Woolsey immigrant must descend from the Cardinal or be related to him.

However, it only takes a few days' research in the parish church records of Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk counties to realize that the Wolsey families are much more numerous and complicated than the early researchers ever dreamed of. There are dozens of wills and many marriages from these early areas before 1550, and almost any of them could be the ancestors of our Woolsey family. More research is going on at this time in over one hundred forty parishes in Norfolk and in over 20 parishes surrounding Langhall-Kirstead to determine if any of the many Wolsey families found therein could be our Wolsey ancestors.

The Cardinal was granted a coat of arms as follows:

I think that it is very possible that Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was the " Butcher´s son", son of Robert Wolsey, and that they are related to the Wolsey families of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, but to try to ascribe relationship to him because of his prominence, is very presumptuous indeed.

Cardinal Wolsey was not the only Wolsey granted arms.

The Wulcy families of Norfolk were more numerous than the Wulcy families of Suffolk. Some members of the Norfolk families followed the trade of a butcher, but I have utterly failed to connect them with the family of Cardinal Wolsey.

In The General Armory , p 1128, is one WOLSAY (Co. Norfolk). Ar. On a chev. betw. three wool sacks az. as many garbs or. [This is interesting and more research needs to be done on this.]

Wilford W. Whitaker is, at the present time, reading the WOOLSEY WILLS of NORFOLK county, of which he has found sixty wills for Woolseys (Wulcy, etc.) from 1360 to 1650! About one half have been read and deciphered so far. See later for the ****** of WILLS in Norfolk, and also MARRIAGES, christenings, burials, etc. in Norfolk.

The ancestors of the Immigrant George Woolsey, of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, are definitely from a small area, a few miles north west of Yarmouth, and are definitely from Norfolk, England.

Is this where some researchers got the name of Benjamin Woolsey, the wrongly supposed father of George Woolsey, the Immigrant?

LINEAGE: Early in the 17 ^th century the name is found in the county Armagh. Benjamin Woolsey had a grant of fee farm lands in and about Portsdown in 1663, and his will was proved 1690.

The Rev. William Woolsey, M. A. was Chaplain to Primate Boulter, and became successively Vicar of Dundalk, 1709-28, and Rector of Faughart, 1728, to his death in 1748. He acquired Priorland, near Dundalk, and left two sons, John, of whom presently, and Thomas (Rev.), Rector of Faughart, 1754-75, and of Forkhill, 1775, to his death in 1779, who married 1 ^st a sister of Ephraim Stannus, of Carlingford, and 2 ^nd Jane Read of Dundalk.

John Woolsey, Esqr. Of Priorland, the elder son of the above Rev. William Woolsey, entered the Temple before 1733, married Lucy, daughter of the Rev. Richard Palmer, and died at an early age, July 1752, leaving an only child, Rev. William Woolsey of Priorland, M. A. of Cambridge, b about 1750; was sometime Lieut. 61 ^st Reg.; became Rector of Kilsaran (Castle Bellingham) in 1794, married Mary Anne, daughter of Col. Alan Bellingham, of Castle Bellingham, co. Louth (and sister to Sir William Bellingham, 1 ^st Bart.) They had five children. Rev. Woolsey, who was subsequently married a 2 ^nd time, d Sep 1832, aged about 82, his widow surviving to Oct 1884, aged 86, and was s. by his eldest son.

The arms of this Woolsey family are similar to the arms of Cardinal Thomas Woolsey. The arms of this Irish family are:

One of the volunteers in the British section in the Family History Library in Salt Lake, said there was a car made in England, which is called the " Wolsey ", manufactured by Morris Motors Ltd. And in a 1990's Obituary of a captain of the Royal Air Force, he mentions his Wolsey car.

And from Names ON-LINE, we have found more information than you may possibly want:

And now a paragraph on Linsey-Wool-Sey . Once in a while, while reading an inventory or sometimes reading someone´s reminiscences, we have come across the term "linsey-woolsey". It really has nothing to do with the surname Woolsey, but is the "prefix + wool, with a jingling ending". Originally it was a textile material, woven from a mixture of wool and flax; now, a dress material of coarse inferior wool, woven upon a cotton warp.

Linsey-woolsey was common on the American frontier and there are frequent references to it. It is also found in the statements of some of the fur-traders in the American far-west in the early 1800's.

The name Woolsey, Yale President [Theodore] Woolsey supposes to have gone through the following structural changes from an original Anglo-Saxon type, Wulfsige:

WULFSIGE References:

975-979

998

1016

1053

1062

1066

Well, there you have it. Possibly more than you ever wanted to know about this most illustrious and ancient name. But perhaps, more importantly, is - what are we doing to honor, sustain, and carry this name forward? - Will we be able to pass it down to our descendants unsullied and bright and shining? Let us so live that we can do that.