r personal name Josse. Goss is
usually for goose, but any Goss, or Gossett, unwilling to trace his
family back to John Goose, "my lord of Yorkes fole," [Footnote: Privy
Purse Expenses of Elizabeth of York (1502).] may likewise choose the
French Josse or Gosse. Goss may also be a dialect pronunciation of
gorse, the older form of which has given the name Gorst. Coward,
though humble, cow-herd, is no more timid than Craven, the name of a
district in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

NAMES DESIRABLE OR UNDESIRABLE

Mr. Chucks, when in good society, "seldom bowed, Sir, to anything
under three syllables" (Peter Simple, ch. xvii.). But the length of a
name is not necessarily an index of a noble meaning. As will be seen
(pp. 74, 5), a great number of our monosyllabic names belong to, the
oldest stratum of all. The boatswain's own name, from Norman-Fr.
chouque, a tree-stump, is identical with the rather aristocratic Zouch
or Such, from the usual French form souche. Stubbs, which has the
same meaning, may be compared with Curson, Curzon, Fr. courson, a
stump, a derivative of court, short. [Footnote: Curson is also a
dialect variant of Christian.] Pomeroy has a lordly ring, but is the
Old French for Applegarth or Appleyard (Tree Names, Chapter XIV), and
Camoys means flat-nosed, Fr. Camus--

"This wenche thikke and wel y-growen was,
With kamuse nose, and eyen greye as glas."

(A, 3973.)

Kingsley, speaking of the name assumed by John Briggs, says--

"Vavasour was a very pretty name, and one of those which is [sic]
supposed by novelists and young ladies to be aristocratic; why so is a
puzzle; as its plain meaning is a tenant farmer and nothing more or
less" (Two Years Ago, ch. xi.).

The word is said to represent a Vulgar Lat. vassus vassorum, vassal of
vassals.

On the other hand, many a homely name has a complimentary meaning.
Mr. Wegg did not like the name Boffin, but its oldest form is bon-fin,
good and fine. In 1273 Mr. Bumble's name was spelt bon-bel, good and
beautiful. With these we may group Bunker, of which the oldest form
is bon-quer (bon coeur), and Boffey, which corresponds to the common
French name Bonnefoy, good faith; while the much more assertive
Beaufoy means simply fine beech (Chapter I).

With Bunker we may compare Goodhart and Cordeaux, the oldest form of
the latter being the French name Courdoux. Momerie and Mummery are
identical with Mowbray, from Monbrai in Normandy. Molyneux impre