A Cast of Names Both Old and New
Greyston comes from an English surname, a variant spelling of Grayston meaning "gray stone" made up of Old English elements grǣġ (grey) and stān (stone). It's also possible that the first element is derived from Middle English greyve meaning "steward" combined with the patronymic suffix -son, with would make it a variant of Grayson. Origin: Proto-Indo-European Variants: Greystone (English) Grayston (English) Graystone (English)
Dexter comes from an English surname, an occupational name originally used for a female dyer though it's been commonly used as a male given name. Dexter is also a Latin word meaning "right; on the right side" as well as meaning "skillful; adroit" via Latin dextera (right hand) deriving from PIE *deḱs- “right (opposite left) or essentially south”. Nicknames: Dex… Continue reading Dexter
Page comes from a surname meaning “servant, page”, an occupational name for a young servant or attendant of a knight. It comes from Latin pagius (servant) via Ancient Greek paidíon (little child, young child) made up from paîs (child) with the diminutive suffix -ion. Page is also an English word referring to a sheet of paper. The origin of this word… Continue reading Page
Clover is the name of a genus of wildflower, usually with three leaves but occasionally it has four leaves, which is considered lucky. The word comes from Old English cāfre via Proto-Germanic *klaibrǭ (clover), which is of uncertain origin though perhaps deriving from Proto-Germanic *klaiwaz, itself derived from PIE root word *gleh₁y- (to smear; to stick, glue). Clover is also… Continue reading Clover
Hollister comes from an English surname, an occupational name for a brothel-keeper. It comes from Old French holier/hollier, a variant of horier meaning "pimp", from an agent noun of hore, hure (whore) which derives from a PIE root word. Hollister could also have originated as a locational surname for someone who lived near a holly tree or a holly… Continue reading Hollister
Cain is the name of the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, who killed his brother Abel. It seems to be derived from Hebrew qanah meaning "acquired, acquisition" or perhaps related to a root word meaning "to create"; it could also be from qayin meaning "spear" or "smith" Cain is also a Welsh word and female name meaning "lovely,… Continue reading Cain
Gold is the name of a precious metal with the symbol Au for gold, as well as referring to a bright yellow color. It comes from Proto-Germanic *gulþą (gold) which derives from a PIE root word. Gold is also an English and Jewish surname which could have originated as an occupational name for someone who worked with… Continue reading Gold
Macon is an anglicized spelling of Maçon, a French surname meaning "mason", likely an occupational name for a stonemason. It may also be derived from a habitational name, from the French city of Mâcon, which may be an oblique form of Germanic personal name Mako, via Mago, a short form of a compound name from Old High German maht meaning "strength,… Continue reading Macon
Chantry comes from an English surname via Old French chanterie which comes from French chanter meaning "to sing". It comes from Latin cantare which ultimately derives from a PIE root word. It originated as an endowment of a priest to sing daily mass for the souls of specific people. It may also have originated as a nickname for the… Continue reading Chantry
Cooper comes from an English surname, an occupational name for someone who made or repaired barrels, tubs, buckets, casks, etc. It's made from English coop via Old English cȳpe (basket, cask), a cognate of Middle Dutch and German kuper (cooper) which may be derived from Latin cupa (tub, cask, vat) via a PIE root word. Nicknames: Coop Origin: Proto-Indo-European… Continue reading Cooper
