Surnames Derived from the Hide Processing Terminology

Abstract

Since the earliest times, hide processing has been a necessity in order to provide people with clothing and footwear. In the Middle Ages, craftsmen specialized in hide processing were differentiated and names according to the pieces of clothing or footwear they produced: they were furriers or skinners, shoemakers, leather cutters, traditional footwear makers and tanners etc. An important role in the development of this type of activity (processing domestic and wild animal hides) has been played by the technological progress that involved the use of chemical substances meant to ensure high-quality products. The appellatives selected as being part of the hide processing terminology became sources of nicknames or bynames in the 19th century, and later became official surnames as a result of the 1895 Name Law. At present 175 active surnames have been identified and the region and county frequency of occurrence is mentioned in the Appendix, according to The Anthoponymic Romanian Database