Hopkin, passing
into Wales, gave Popkin, just as ap-Robin became Probyn, ap-Hugh Pugh,
ap-Owen Bowen, etc. In the north Dobbs became Dabbs (p. A. Hob also
developed another rimed form Nob cf. to "hob-nob" with anyone),
whence Nobbs and Nabbs, the latter, of course, being sometimes rimed
on Abbs, from Abel or Abraham. Bob is the latest variant and has not
formed many surnames. Richard has a larger family than Robert, for,
besides Rick, Hick and Dick, we have Rich and Hitch, Higg and Digg.
The reader will be able to continue this genealogical tree for
himself.

The full or the shortened name can become a surname, either without
change, or with the addition of the genitive -s or the word -son, the
former more usual in the south, the latter in the north. To take a
simple case, we find as surnames William, Will, Williams, Wills,
Williamson, Wilson. [Footnote: This suffix has squeezed out all the
others, though Alice Johnson is theoretically absurd. In Mid. English
we find daughter, father, mother, brother and other terms of
relationship used in this way, e.g. in 1379, Agnes Dyconwyfdowson, the
wife of Dow's son Dick. Dawbarn, child of David, is still found. See
also Chapter XXI]

From the short form we get diminutives by means of the English
suffixes -ie or -y (these especially in the north), -kin (Chapter IV),
and the French suffixes -et, -ot (often becoming -at in English), -in,
-on (often becoming -en in English). Thus Willy, Wilkie, Willett. I
give a few examples of surnames formed from each class

Ritchie (Richard), Oddy (Odo, whence also Oates), Lambie (Lambert),
Jelley (Julian); [Footnote: Lamb is also, of course, a nickname cf.
Agnew, Fr. agneau]

Dawkins, Dawkes (David), Hawkins, Hawkes (Hal), Gilkins (Geoffrey),
Perkins, Perks (Peter), Rankin (Randolf);

Gillett (Gil, Chapter VI), Collett (Nicholas), Bartlett (Bartholomew),
Ricketts (Richard), Marriott, Marryat (Mary), Elliott (Elias, see
Chapter IX), Wyatt (Guy), Perrott (Peter);

Collins (Nicholas), Jennings (John, see Chapter X), Copping (Jacob,
see Chapter I), Rawlin (Raoul, the French form of Radolf, whence Roll,
Ralph, Relf), Paton (Patrick), Sisson (Sirs, i.e. Cecilia), Gibbons
(Gilbert), Beaton (Beatrice).

In addition to the suffixes and diminutives already mentioned, we have
the two rather puzzling endings -man and -cock. Man occurs as an
ending in several Germanic names which are older than the Conquest,
e.g. Ashman, Harman, Coleman