n order to distinguish themselves from other tribes' people. Each big family formed a community according to the blood relationship. And they lived in different villages. At that time, the productivity force level was quite low; the power that the people controlled the nature and transformed the natural was extremely weak. And when people faced hunger and bad environment, they needed to work hard to survive so they worshiped the hero and the military force. And English names mirrored these psychological needs vividly. At that time, the subjects of many names had relationship with the theme of war. Such as Garmund (warrior protection), Ecgbert (sword bright), Cuthfgar (famous protection), Gunnhild (battle war), Wulfgar (wolf warrior), Hwitheard (white brave), Hereweald (army power), Sigeweard (victory guard), etc.
This situation continued to 787 A.D. After English fully suffered the chaos caused by war, people longed for peace and stability. Therefore, the subjects of names changed at this time. Names such as God (good), Firth (peace), etc. emerged and became popular at that time.
“In 1066 A.D., the Normandy conquered England, and this is an important turning point of English culture.”[9] And this event promoted England's feudalism advancement. In this period, England social economy greatly developed, and there appeared aristocrat class. And that is also the time when surnames had great development. The production of English surname is a product of English social development. It was the aristocrat class who first started using surnames. “Surname was the mark of their family property, and it was bequeathed to their descendant with other property.”[10] Afterwards, the ordinary common people also followed suit; they chose their own surname. Thereupon the people all had their own surnames gradually.
In the Middle Ages the most prominent characteristic of English society was the class contradictions, the disparity between the poor and the rich was obvious. And the influence of church was formidable. We can find out these characteristics through English surname. All authorities in English society took as much land as possible as the foundation of their authority. King held the most national lands, so he had the supreme authority. The church and the feudal aristocracy also had massive lands; therefore they played a pivotal role in the affairs of the state. The farmers did not have any lands; therefore, they were the people who were in the lowest level of society. And English surnames originated from that time display this hierarchical system in the English society obviously. There are many surnames about Royal court, such as King, Emperor, Queen, Prince, Lord, Duke, Baron, Earl, etc. They show aristocrat hierarchical system. The surnames of the farmers came from the ways of work, such as Plant, Plowman, Leak, Apple, Hogg, Gaitor, Coward, Stabler, etc.
Besides the feudal King and the feudal lord, church was also had great influence in English society at that time. “Church was the symbol of the theocracy. It controlled people's thought and ruled people's inner world.”[11] English church also played a vital role in the political life. Its influence seeped to each aspect of people’s life with not exception to the surname. There are some surnames like Pope, Archbishop, Bishop, Priest, Capelen, Charperlin, Shiver, Beacon, Sexten, Vestry, Kerman, Verger, Usher, Bellman, Toller, Graver, Canter, Crosier, etc. all show this characteristic.
After th
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