| Subject: |
Re: The Uncommon Surname of 'Olds' |
| Author: |
Jim Young (guest, 87.102.38.73) |
| Date: |
March 3, 2007 at 5:35:35 AM |
| Reply to: |
Re: The Uncommon Surname of 'Olds' by Brian |
That is another possibility. There is a surname Youngs, so why not an Olds? I always think along the lines that older people are less likely to have children, so someone getting their surname from, say, John the Old is a long shot; which is to ignore the existence of surnames such as Elder and Senior.
I've always assumed that Cole was a diminutive of Nicholas, I'm sure Colson is. Reaney and Wilson give a different explanation. It started out as a nickname for a swarthy person, i.e., "coal-black", which over time became a baptismal name. Far more common in the South of England than the North.
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