indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Meaning & History
English: A topographic name for someone who lived near the trunk or stump of a large tree, Middle English Stocke (Old English Stocc). In some cases the reference may be to a primitive foot-bridge over a stream consisting of a felled tree trunk. Some early examples without prepositions may point to a nickname for a stout, stocky man or a metonymic occupational name for a keeper of punishment stocks.German: from Middle German Stoc ‘tree’, ‘tree stump’, but sometimes also a nickname for an impolite or obstinate person.Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name from German Stock ‘stick’, ‘pole’.