The Origins of the Ampersand

The ampersand symbol has its origins in classical Latin. The word and was a very common word, so the Anglo-Saxon scribes looked for a quick way to write it. It replaced that Old English symbol which looked like the number seven. But where did the name come from? In early American schools when children recited the alphabet they would conclude by saying x, y, z and per se and. That ending phrase then became ampersand.