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If we needed proof that inventing silly stories to explain the origins of words which have non-obvious etymologies is both an old and long-lived practice, here it is: Across nearly four centuries, various writers have chronicled the tale of an English king especially fond of fine dining (any one of a succession from Henry VIII to Charles II) who coined the word sirloin by knighting a choice piece of meat, thereby introducing Sir Loin to the world: As recently as 2005, the BBC reported that: While it is certainly possible that one or more England monarchs has repeated this pun, the word sirloin first appeared in English as far back as the early sixteenth century and therefore (with the possible exception of Henry VIII) antedates the reigns of any of the kings commonly cited as having originated it by knighting a piece of beef (e.g., James I, Charles II). The real death blow to the sir loin etymology, however, is the fact that the word sirloin was originally written as surloyn or surloine in English, reflecting its origins in the Middle French word surlonge (sur la longe), with sur meaning over and longe meaning loin — hence sirloin was a cut of beef taken from above the loin. Not until considerably later did the common English spelling of the word shift towards using an i in place of the u, thus giving license to generations of punsters. The English word surname stems from the same French root, indicating a family name that was used over (i.e., in addition to) one's Christian name.
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