Large 3589882 223245649 2008-07-03T06:15:38Z Bigtophat 7392062 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/72.141.46.46|72.141.46.46]] to last version by Canglesea (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{otheruses}} {{Family name | name =Large |image= |imagesize= |caption= | pronunciation = | meaning ="abundant" "ample" "big" "generous" "liberal" | region =England, see France for parallel surnames | origin =Latin, Old French , Middle English | related names=Lardge, Lurge, Larg, le Large, de Large | footnotes = }} '''Large''' is an [[England|English]] [[surname]], with variants including '''Lardge''', '''Lurge''', and '''Larg'''. Its meaning is variable, though it may derive from the [[Norman French]] adjective, ''large'' (meaning "generous" or "big" [as in, "that's big of you", meaning generous, as well as large in size]), as it is found in the surname "le Large" in English records dating back as far as the [[13th century]]. Harrison's work on English surnames gives the following: "LARGE (adjectival: French, Latin) BIG; GENEROUS [Middle English Old French ''large''; Latin ''larg-us, -a'', [meaning] abundant, liberal]" He gives an early citation for the name: ''William le Large from the Hundred Rolls,'' a reference dating to 1273. He also provides a quotation showing the word in its older sense of ''generous'', ''full'', ''liberal'' or ''ample'' in its literary context: ''So '''large''' of yift [gift] and free was she'' (from [[Geoffrey Chaucer|Chaucer]]'s ''Romance of the Rose'' I168) Another variant surname, "de Large", appears to be [[continental European]] rather than English in origin. [[Henry Brougham Guppy]]'s survey circa 1881, based on local British directories, places Large as a surname local to [[Wiltshire|North Wiltshire]], and considers it to have particular prevalence among [[yeoman farmer]]s.(Guppy, 1890) According to the [[International Genealogical Index]], the surname is also found in many other English counties; in [[Ireland]], [[Scotland]], [[Wales]] and other [[English language]] countries; in [[France]] and [[Germany]], and, more rarely, in the [[Scandinavian countries]]. People with the name Large or its variants include: ==People== {{Wiktionary}} * Sir [[Andrew Large]] (born 1942), British, Monetary Policy Committee member * [[Bonnie Large]] (born 1952), American, ''Playboy'' model * [[Brian Large]] (born 1939), British opera video director * [[Eddie Large]] (born 1941), British comedian * [[John Large]] (b. ?), British engineer * [[Josaphat-Robert Large]] (born 1942), Haitian-American poet * [[Robert Large]] (died 1441), English, Lord Mayor of London (1439-1440) and apprentice master of [[William Caxton]], England's first printer * [[Storm Large]] (born 1969), American singer ===Variants=== * [[Robert C. De Large]] (1842 - 1874), American politician ==References== * Carroll, Linda Largin, ''The Largin Legacy'', 1995, p. 15 (date of reference to William le Large from the Hundred Rolls) * Guppy, Henry Brougham. ''Homes of Family Names in Great Britain''. London: Harrison, 1890. * International Genealogical Index, www.familysearch.org * Harrison, Henry ''Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary'', 1912/1918, reprinted 1969 and 1996, p. 264 * Reidy, John; Kurath, Hans; Lewis, Robert E.; Kuhn, Sherman M., ''Middle English Dictionary'', Language Arts & Disciplines, 1971, p. 663 (for instances of the surname) pp. 657-663 (for the adjectival and adverbial uses of the word) {{surname|Large|nocat}} [[Category:Surnames]] [[Category:English surnames]] [[Category:British Isles surnames]] [[yi:גרויס]]