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Surname Etymology and Meaning of CHILD

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Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

1. nickname from Middle English child ‘child’, ‘infant’ (Old English cild), in various possible applications. The word is found in Old English as a byname, and in Middle English as a widely used affectionate term of address. It was also used as a term of status for a young man of noble birth, although the exact meaning is not clear; in the 13th and 14th centuries it was a technical term used of a young noble awaiting elevation to the knighthood. In other cases it may have been applied as a byname to a youth considerably younger than his brothers or to one who was a minor on the death of his father.
2. possibly a topographic name from Old English cielde ‘spring (water)’, a rare word derived from c(e)ald ‘cold’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)