Father

Father
This is a very unusual and interesting English medieval surname. It originates from the pre 7th century Anglo-Saxon 'fader' meaning the father, and as such was a term of status or endearment not for a father as such, but for 'The father' or chief of the local community or an elder of the village, who may also have been regarded as a holy man. He was probably not a priest, as priests were not supposed to either marry or have children, but as we are now allowed to know, 'accidents' do happen. It is interesting that since the Middle Ages, when hereditary surnames as we know them today came into use, the surname has been found almost exclusively in the patronymic form of 'Fathers' meaning 'the son of the Father', although the earliest recordings such as that of Arnald le Fader of Wiltshire in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, are singular. The famous Victorian etymologist Canon Charles Bardsley remarked that the name was unusual in being found originally only in the three linked counties of Somerset, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire, although he offers no suggestions as to why this should be, nor as to why the name developed into a patronymic. Other dictionaries have ignored it altogether. This may be because it is very rare, or because they feel unable to offer a suggestion for its origin. The surname is recorded in the diocese of Greater London from at least the middle of the 18th century. A good example being that of Ann Fathers who married George Woods, at St George's Chapel, Hanover Square, on April 1st 1786.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Father — Fa ther (f[aum] [th][ e]r), n. [OE. fader, AS. f[ae]der; akin to OS. fadar, D. vader, OHG. fatar, G. vater, Icel. fa[eth]ir Sw. & Dan. fader, OIr. athir, L. pater, Gr. path r, Skr. pitr, perh. fr. Skr. p[=a] protect. [root]75, 247. Cf. {Papa},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Father MC — (born Timothy Brown) was a popular African American rapper for the Uptown Records label in the early 1990s. Discovered and signed by then Uptown executive Sean Puffy Combs, he is best known for introducing the public to Uptown s successful R B… …   Wikipedia

  • Father — Fa ther, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Fathered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Fathering}.] 1. To make one s self the father of; to beget. [1913 Webster] Cowards father cowards, and base things sire base. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To take as one s own child; to adopt;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • father — ► NOUN 1) a male parent. 2) an important figure in the origin and early history of something: Pasteur, the father of microbiology . 3) literary a male ancestor. 4) (often as a title or form of address) a priest. 5) (the Father) (in Christian… …   English terms dictionary

  • Father MC — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Father MC es un cantante de new jack swing y hip hop, que entró en el panorama musical con el hit I ll Do 4 U en el año 1990, dentro de su disco debut Father s Day . Dos años después, editó Close to you otro de sus… …   Wikipedia Español

  • father — [fä′thər] n. [ME fader < OE fæder, akin to ON fathir, OHG fater, Goth fadar < IE * pətḗr > L pater, Gr patēr, Sans pitár: ult. origin prob. echoic of baby talk, as in PAPA, Hindi bābū] 1. a man who has begotten a child; esp., a man as he …   English World dictionary

  • father — [n1] male person who begets children ancestor, begetter, dad, daddy*, forebearer, origin, pa, padre, papa, parent, pop*, predecessor, procreator, progenitor, sire, source; concepts 394,400,414,419,423 Ant. mother father [n2] priest abbé,… …   New thesaurus

  • father — index generate, originate, parents, primogenitor, propagate (increase), reproduce Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …   Law dictionary

  • Father — Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see Father (disambiguation), Dad (disambiguation), Fatherhood (disambiguation), and Fathering (journal). Father with child A father is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring …   Wikipedia

  • father — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun ADJECTIVE ▪ lone (esp. BrE), single ▪ As a single father, he found it a struggle bringing up three children. ▪ married, unmarried ▪ a married father of …   Collocations dictionary

  • father —    This would seem to be the natural term for a speaker to use to his or her father, but whether it is used or not depends on individual family practice, which may in turn be influenced by the social and educational level of the family concerned …   A dictionary of epithets and terms of address

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