The Normans when they came into England, at the con quest, brought in the use of surnames taken from the places they were from, or possessed, with the prefix de (norman-french). The eldest son continued to bear it (frequently dropping the de) as long as the family existed. According to Camden it was the custom of the Normans' younger sons to take a surname from the villages or cities, which, in very early times, their fathers bestowed upon them; and so I account for a Norman taking the surname of Stickney.