Middle

Middle
Recorded as Middle, Middell, Midell, Middler and possibly others, this is almost certainly a residential name. It is English, deriving from the pre 7th century word 'middel' and meaning either a place between two other villages, or a person (Middler) who worked in the centre of (probably) a town or village. Another possibility is that Middle could refer to a dry area or island on a marsh, in the days before the drainage of the fens and lying regions. However paradoxically the first recording we have is not residential - but apparently a nickname! This was Richard le Midel, who appears in the Hundred Rolls of the landowners of the county of Cambridge in the year 1279. Unless the le was a poorly written de, this recording is clearly personal, which would suggest that 'Richard' may have been one of three people, brothers perhaps, known as Bigg, Midel and Small, although Simon atte Middele in the Subsidy Tax rolls for the county of Somerset in 1327, clearly refers to a place of some sort. In today's gazetters of the British Isles there are literally dozens of places called Middleton or Middletown in the British Isles gazetters, although only one Middle, and that is in Glamorgan, South Wales. However the Rev Charles Bardsley in his famous Dictionary of English and Welsh surnames written in1880, refers to a hamlet called Middle near the town of Shrewsbury, although our research suggests that neither of these villages was a source of nameholders.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Middle — Mid dle (m[i^]d d l), a. [OE. middel, AS. middel; akin to D. middel, OHG. muttil, G. mittel. [root]271. See {Mid}, a.] [1913 Webster] 1. Equally distant from the extreme either of a number of things or of one thing; mean; medial; as, the middle… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Middle — may refer to: Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Geography in fiction …   Wikipedia

  • middle — [mid′ l] adj. [ME middel < OE < midd ,MID1 + el, LE] 1. halfway between two given points, times, limits, etc.; also, equally distant from all sides or extremities; in the center; mean 2. in between; intermediate; intervening 3. Gram. a …   English World dictionary

  • Middle — Mid dle, n. [AS. middel. See {Middle}, a.] The point or part equally distant from the extremities or exterior limits, as of a line, a surface, or a solid; an intervening point or part in space, time, or order of series; the midst; central… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • middle — [adj] central average, between, betwixt and between*, center, centermost, equidistant, halfway, inner, inside, intermediate, intervening, mainstream, mean, medial, median, medium, mezzo*, middlemost, middle of the road*, midmost, smack in the… …   New thesaurus

  • middle C — n [U] the musical note C, which is the middle note on a piano …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • middle C — ► NOUN Music ▪ the C near the middle of the piano keyboard, written on the first ledger line below the treble stave or the first ledger line above the bass stave …   English terms dictionary

  • middle — ► ADJECTIVE 1) at an equal distance from the extremities of something; central. 2) intermediate in rank, quality, or ability. ► NOUN 1) a middle point or position. 2) informal a person s waist and stomach …   English terms dictionary

  • middle — I adjective average, axial, centermost, central, centric, centroidal, equidistant, halfway, interjacent, intermediary, intermediate, mean, medial, median, mediate, mediocre, medium, mid, midmost, midway, pivotal II noun average, axis, center,… …   Law dictionary

  • middle — n *center, midst, core, hub, focus, nucleus, heart …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • middle C — n. 1. the musical note on the first ledger line below the treble staff and the first above the bass staff 2. the corresponding tone or key …   English World dictionary

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