Expert: Francesco Marchesani - 1/12/2011

Question
Is the following true?

The names of SS. Crispin and Crispinian are Anglicized praenominal names from the Roman patronymic or cognomen surname—Crispinus, which comes from the Latin root word—Crispus, which means curly hair. This evidence bespeaks the idea that both ancient twins had alliterative names, i.e. Crispin Crispinus and Crispinian Crispinus. It also indicates that SS. Crispin and Crispinian were not named for the personal characteristic of having curly hair but alludes to their ancestral occupational lineage or family heritage in working with curly hair. Many Latin surnames are derived from an ancestors lively-hood, title and duties. By trade, position and occupation those anciently dubbed Crispus or Crispinus were known as tonsors or barbers, in other words Crispin and Crispinian were likely second, third or even fourth generation practitioners of the tonsorial art of barbering.

Answer
Hello,
the explanation about SS. Crispin's and Crispinian's names is true, with just one precisation: "Crispin and Crispinian were likely second, third or even fourth generation practitioners of the tonsorial art of barbering" is not automatically true, in other words even though one of their ancestors (and it might go back many generations, maybe even 10 or more) might have been a barber (but more likely, Crispinus means that the ancestor had curly hair), this doesn't mean they were barbers themselves (in fact they were shoemakers).