le-man, Trout for Traut, faithful, the resemblance is
accidental. Beam and Chestnut, common in the States but very rare in
England, represent an imitative form of Boehm or Behm, Bohemian, and a
translation of Kestenbaum, chestnut tree, both Jewish names. The
Becks and Bowmans of New York outnumber those of London by about five
to one, the first being for Beck, baker (Chapter XV), and the second
for Baumann, equivalent to Bauer, farmer. Bardsley explains the
common American name Arrison by the fact that there are Cockneys in
America. It comes of course from Arend, a Dutch name related to
Arnold.

"A remarkable record in changes of surname was cited some years ago by
an American correspondent of Notes and Queries. 'The changes which
befell a resident of New Orleans were that when he moved from an
American quarter to a German neighbourhood his name of Flint became
Feuerstein, which for convenience was shortened to Stein. Upon his
removal to a French district he was re-christened Pierre. Hence upon
his return to an English neighbourhood he was translated into Peters,
and his first neighbours were surprised and puzzled to find Flint
turned Peters.'"

(Daily Chronicle, April 4, 1913.)]

PHYSICAL FEATURES

Names like Beard, Chinn, Tooth were conferred because of some
prominent feature. In Anglo-French we find Gernon, moustache, now
corrupted to Garnham, and also al gernon, with the moustache, which
has become Algernon. But we have already seen (Chapter XIII) that
some names which appear to belong to this class are of local origin.
So also Tongue is derived from one of several places named Tong or
Tonge, though the ultimate origin is perhaps in some cases the same, a
"tongue" of land. Quartermain is for Quatre-mains, perhaps bestowed
on a very acquisitive person; Joscius Quatre-buches, four mouths, and
Roger Tunekes, two necks, were alive in the twelfth century; and there
is record of a Saracen champion named Quinze-paumes, though this is
perhaps rather a measure of height. Cheek I conjecture to be for
Chick. The odd-looking Kidney is apparently Irish. There is a rare
name Poindexter, appearing in French as Poingdestre, "right fist."
[Footnote: President Poincare's name appears to mean "square fist."]
I have seen it explained as from the heraldic term point dexter, but
it is rather to be taken literally. I find Johannes cum pugno in
1184, and we can imagine that such a name may have been conferred on a
m