Although there are examples of boys named after Peter Waldo, founder of the Waldensians, Ralph Waldo Emerson is NOT one of them.His middle name (and, by the way, he preferred relatives and friends to call him Waldo in everyday life since he had several first cousins named Ralph) came from the English surname Waldo, which is derived from Wælþeof, the Old English form of a Danish name meaning "battle thief" brought to England by Viking settlers. Walthew and Wadie are other surnames derived from this same given name.The surname Waldo was brought to New England around 1650. Samuel Waldo was a general in the French and Indian War who Waldo County, Maine, was named after. Ralph Waldo Emerson's father was a descendant of the New England Waldo family, and he gave his son Waldo as a middle name to honor his own Waldo ancestors, not to honor Peter Waldo. [noted -ed]A fuller explanation is found in my newspaper column on the name Waldo:https://omaha.com/eedition/sunrise/articles/youll-find-waldo-if-you-look-hard/article_ccfa3777-129f-5d62-9a25-6fd15fda44e3.html
His middle name (and, by the way, he preferred relatives and friends to call him Waldo in everyday life since he had several first cousins named Ralph) came from the English surname Waldo, which is derived from Wælþeof, the Old English form of a Danish name meaning "battle thief" brought to England by Viking settlers. Walthew and Wadie are other surnames derived from this same given name.
The surname Waldo was brought to New England around 1650. Samuel Waldo was a general in the French and Indian War who Waldo County, Maine, was named after. Ralph Waldo Emerson's father was a descendant of the New England Waldo family, and he gave his son Waldo as a middle name to honor his own Waldo ancestors, not to honor Peter Waldo. [noted -ed]
A fuller explanation is found in my newspaper column on the name Waldo:
https://omaha.com/eedition/sunrise/articles/youll-find-waldo-if-you-look-hard/article_ccfa3777-129f-5d62-9a25-6fd15fda44e3.html