Hussy

This interesting surname, chiefly found in Scotland, has a number of possible sources. Firstly, it may be of Norman origin, and locational from Houssaye, a place in Seine-Maritime, so called from the Old French "hous", holly. Locational names were originally given to the Lord of the Manor, or as a means of identification to those who had left their place of origin to settle elsewhere. Regional and dialectal differences subsequently roduced several variations of the original spelling of the name. Hosie may also belong to that sizeable group of early European surnames that were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames. These nicknames were given with reference to a variety of characteristics, such as physical attributes or peculiarities, mental and moral characteristics, or to habits of dress and occupation. In this instance the derivation may be from the Old French "h(e)use", booted, originally denoting someone who wore boots of an unusual design, or it may derive from the Old English pre 7th Century "hus(e)wif", indicating a woman who was mistress of her own household. Finally, Hosie, and its variants Huss(e)y and Hosey, may be an Anglicized form of the Old Gaelic Irish "O hEodhusa",descendant of Eodhus, a personal name given in bardic families. In 1177 one Walter Hose possessed the Manor of Craigie in Kyle, and on September 4th 1778, George Hosie, an infant, was christened in Cranston, Midlothian. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter Hosatus, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book, during the reign of William 1, known as "William the Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.