English
Pinkerton
Pinkerton comes from Old English tūn ‘enclosure’, and goes back to Proto-Celtic *dūnom ‘stronghold, rampart’.
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*dūnom‘stronghold, rampart’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tūną‘enclosure’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tūn‘enclosure’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tūn‘enclosure’
- Englishearliest quotation 1912Pinkerton
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*dūnom‘stronghold, rampart’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tūną‘enclosure’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tūn‘enclosure’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tūn‘enclosure’
- Englishearliest quotation 1912Pinkerton
Earliest quotation: 1912, Alexander Berkman: “My heart wells up in admiration of the man,…”
The story
Habitational surname from a place near Dunbar, from an unexplained first element + Old English tūn (‘enclosure’). This surname is well established in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- ‘to last’
beautiful, beauty, ben, tool, dynamic, bonus, beneficial, rebel, optimal, boo, dynasty, optimism, beau, tow, bonnie, beneficiary, boon, dynamo, revel, bona, bello, bene, dynastic, bonny, taw, bauble, bellicose, bonbon, 97 more
through Proto-Celtic *dūnom ‘stronghold, rampart’
through Proto-West Germanic *tūn ‘enclosure’
through Old English tūn ‘enclosure’
Today it means
name A habitational surname from Old English.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Celtic *dūnom / Pinkerton