3 OCTOBER 1931, Page 36

In his History of Surnames in the British Isles (Kegan

Paul, Mr. C. L'Estrange Ewen presents a great deal of information gathered from national and local records for the successive periods, and then discusses the classifieation and evolution of surnames. The closing chapters deal with the legal aspect of the matter and give early instances of licences to change a name—one as early as 1273. An elaborate index refers to many thousands of names. Those who are interested in the subject will find Mr. Ewen's references valuable, but his theories—especially in regard to etymologies and to the influence of nicknames, which he minimizes.-are too often speculative and unconvincing. His elaborate discussion of the name Shakespeare is a case in point. " It is highly im- probable," says Mr. Ewen, " that the name signifies what it appears to do." Yet simple explanations are often correct, and it cannot be said that the author's alternative suggestions throw any more light on the matter. However, he has evi- dently devoted years of research to the book, and its solid merits unquestionably outweigh its theoretical defects.

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