PATRONYMIC (Gr. pater, father, and onoma, name), properly a name taken from one's father, hut generally applied to such names as express descent from a parent or ancestor. In Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin, patronymics arc very numerous. may he derived from the name of a father. Mother, grandfather, or remoter ancestor, as Atridcs, i.e., (Agamemnon), son of Atreus; Philyrides, i.e.. (Chiron), son of Philyra; /Ern:ides, i.e., (Achilles), grandson of 2Eacus. The names of the founders of nations have also been used to form a sort of patronymic, as when the Romans are called Roinu lidm. In Greek add Latin the commonest terminations of patronymics are ides and is. Patronymics have no fewer than thirteen recognized terminations in Sanskrit. A num ber of the surnames in use in modern times are patronymics, as Johnson, the son of John; Thomson, the on of Thomas. Originally these names fluctuated from genera tion to generation, as still is, or very recently was, the case in Shetland, where 31agnus .Johnson's son calls himself John Magnusson or Manson. In the course of time, it was generally found more convenient to take a surname from one well-known ancestor, which should descend unchanged to the children of the-bearer of .it. The termination s is sometimes used as equivalent to son, as in Jones. Rodgers. To patronymics be
long Norman, Highland, Irish, and Welsh surnames with the prefixes of Fitz, Mae. 0, and Ap, respectively. In many cases the Mac of the Highlands of Scotland ceased to have a fluctuating character only a few generations ago. In 1465' an act of the parlia ment of Ireland was directed against the use of patronymics. Every Irishman " betwixt or among Englishmen in the counties of Dublin, Myeth, Uriel, or Kildare," was ordered "to take to him an English surname of a town, as Sutton, Chester, Trym, Skryne, Corke, Kinsale; or color, as White, Blacke; or arte or science, as Smith or Car penter; or office, as Cooke or Thaler; and that he and his issue should use 'the same." In Wales it was long the practice to use a string of ancestral names, each with the sylla ble Ap prefixed to it. Camden relates that "in the time of king Henry VIII. an ancient worshipful gentleman of Wales being called at the pannell of a jury by the name of Thomas Ap William Ap Thomas Ap Richard Ap Hod Ap Evan Vnghan, etc., was advised by the judge to leave that old manner; whereupon he afterwards called himself Roston, according to the name of his principal house, and left that surname to his pos ted tie." Sec NAME.