Patronymica Cornu-Britannica/D

by Richard Stephen Charnock

 

D.

 

DAG, DAGGE. The surname Dag has been derived from Teut. dœg, day. The Dags of Cornwall may have their name from Cornish dag, "some one"—perhaps some one of importance, from Gr. ταγος, a leader, commander, a chief, a ruler (Thessalian tagus). D. Gilbert says, "Killiganeen in St. Feock, after Mr. Hussey's decease, passed into the hands of Mr. Dagge: two brothers of that name went to London from Bodmin to seek their fortunes; one of whom became the manager of Covent Garden Theatre; the other pursued the law, to which both were probably educated, and ultimately retired to Killiganeen, which has since become the property of Admiral Spry." Dagworthy is a surname.

DAGWORTHY. See Dag.

DALPHIN. See Godolphin.

DELL. From dol, a valley, dale.

DENHAM. See Tredenham.

DENNIS, DINNIS. From dinaz, dinas, a bulwark, fortress, city, walled town. The name may, however, sometimes be from the parish of St. Denis in Powdre, so called from St. Denis or Dionysius, to whom its church was dedicated.

DENSILL, DENSELL, DENZIL. From an estate in the parish of Mawgan in Pyder, possessed by the family down to the 16th century. The name is from den-sil, the hill in open view or prospect; or den-syl, the hill of the sun. Hals gives an absurd etymology. See Gilbert.

DERRICK. This name is said to be sometimes from Cornish derrick, a sexton, a gravedigger; from terhi, to break; or doer, the earth, as belonging to the earth. It is perhaps more often the nickname for Theodoric, a name of Teutonic origin.

DEVIS. From davas, anc. davat, a sheep. Pryce gives "Devis, Davas, Davat, sheep place.—Nom. fam. Davis, a sheep."

DINHAM. See Tredenham and Cardinham.

DINNIS. See Dennis.

DOGGET, DOGGETT. Mr. Ferguson makes Doggett a diminutive of Icelandic dogge, Eng. dog. Lower seems to think it corrupted from Dowgate, one of the Roman gateways of the city of London. Dogget however may be an abbreviation of Pendoggett, a village in St. Kew; from pen-dower-gate, the head of the gate or opening to the water.

DOLBEN. From dôl-bighan, the little vale; or dôl-ben, the head of the valley, or the head valley.

DOLLMAN, DOLMAN. See Tolman.

DOLPHIN. See Godolphin.

DORMAR, DORMER. From dour-mêr, the great water.

DOWER. This surname may be from Dower in Crowan (there is Dower Park in St. Kew), named from some pool or standing water (dour, water). The Prompt. Parv. renders the word dower, a rabbit's burrow, cuniculus.

DOWERINGE. From dower-ick, the watery place. Hence perhaps the surnames Dowrige and Dowrick. Cf. Dower.

DOWICK. From dow-ick, probably for dower-ick, the place by the water. Dew-ick would signify the dark place.

DOWRICK, DOWRIGE. See Doweringe.

DRAIN. See Trehane.

DREADON. From dre-don, the dwelling on the hill; or dreath-don, the hill of gravel or sand.

DRIGG. See Trigg.

DUGGAR. From dew-car, the black rock; or Du-car, the God's rock.

DUGGUA. From dew-gwy, the dark stream.

DULASTON. From dow-glas-ton, the hill by the green water.

DUNCLAF. From dun-calf, the bald or bare hill.

DUNDAGELL. Hals, citing Carew's Survey of Cornwall, p. 44, says "Dundagell (alias Dyngagell, alias Bosithney) gave name and original to an old family of gentlemen surnamed De Dundagell, now extinct, of which family was Robert de Dundagell, who, temp. Rich. I., held in this county, by the tenure of knight service, five knight's fees." He says also that the name Dundagell means safe, secure, impregnable, or invincible man; or a man so fortified, magnified, or fenced by art or nature that he was not liable to hurt or danger, referring perhaps to the King or Earl of Cornwall, whose fort or castle it was"! In Domesday, 20 Wm. I. (1087), this place was taxed under the name of Dune-cheine. Tonkin says "tin is the same as din, dinas, dixeth, deceit; so that Tindixeth, turned for the easier pronunciation to Tintagel, Dindagel, or Daundagel, signifies the Castle of Deceit, which name might be aptly given to it from the famous deceit practised here by Uter Pendragon, by the help of Merlin's enchantment." Pryce renders "Tintagell (now Tintagel), the modern name of Dundagell, Dundagel, the castle of deceit (tin, din, a fortified place or castle)."

DUNGAY, DUNGEY. From from dun-ke, the hill enclosed by a hedge or fence; or dun-kea, the hedge enclosure. Tungay may be the same name.