At 9:00:13 AM on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, Torsten wrote:
> I don't want to open this thread again; I'm adding this
> posting to the tree since I found an authoritative quote
> on the subject, and I'd like to be able to locate that
> quote in the future.
> And it is:
> Harrison & Harrison
> Surnames of the United Kingdom:
> a concise etymological dictionary
> http://tinyurl.com/3al7ffz
Harrison & Harrison, _Surnames of the United Kingdom_, is
not authoritative. It is in fact somewhat notorious for
etymologizing on the modern forms of surnames, and this
entry is an example. <Pendegast> is from <Prendergast>, the
name of a village and parish in Pembrokeshire and, as
<Prenderguest>, of what is now a farm in Berwickshire; early
instances of the byname include <de Prendergat'> 1225, <de
Prendrogest> 1354, <de Prendergest> ~1170, ~1240, 1325, and
<de Prendregast> 1296. The Scottish place-name is
associated at an early date with an Anglo-Norman family who
may have brought it from Wales. The etymology is unknown,
but the name is apparently P-Celtic, and the first element
may be <pren> 'tree'.
Brian