Hallward

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A English surname, best known as the name of Basil Hallward, the artist in Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray
2. A family name of English origin, most famously borne by the painter Basil Hallward, who admires the young Dorian Gray in Oscar Wilde's novel
3. Surname of English origin, notably that of Basil Hallward, the painter character from Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray

Etymology: "Hallward" is best known as the name of the painter Basil Hallward in Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray." As a surname it is an English compound. "Hall" comes from Old English "heall," a large house or its main room, and "ward" comes from Old English "weard," a guardian or keeper. The name points to someone who kept watch over a great house, a steward or hall-keeper. Many English surnames began as job descriptions like this one. The name first named the work a person did at a hall and was later passed down through families, so a Hallward was originally a servant of the house, not a holder of any noble title.